Präteritum · the written past
German's second past tense. For sein, haben and the modals it's what everyone says out loud; for other verbs it belongs to writing and storytelling.
Examples
- Ich war gestern zu Hause.I was at home yesterday.
- Wir hatten keine Zeit.We had no time.
- Als ich klein war, wohnte ich in Köln.When I was small I lived in Cologne.
After this pattern you can
- say how something was, in normal speech
- say what you could / had to / wanted to do
- read a story or a news report
Start with a conversation
How was your weekend?
It was nice, but I had little time.
Why?
I had to work.
And yesterday?
Yesterday I could finally sleep.
war, hatte, musste, konnte — nobody says "Ich bin müde gewesen" in conversation. For these verbs the Präteritum IS the spoken form.
TWO PAST TENSES, one meaning. The choice is REGISTER, not timing:
THE EXCEPTION, and it's the important one:
WEAK verbs add -te to the stem:
er machte, wir machten
STRONG verbs change the vowel and take no ending in the ich / er form:
Phrases you can use today
I couldn't …
Typical mistakes
Grammatical, but nobody talks like that.
Strong verbs take no ending for ich / er.
What you'll practise
1. war / hatte (was / had)
The Präteritum of sein and haben — normal in speech, not just writing: Ich war müde. Ich hatte Zeit.
- Ich war krank.I was ill.
- Sie hatte kein Geld.She had no money.
2. Modals in the Präteritum
konnte / musste / wollte / sollte / durfte — the umlaut drops: können → ich konnte.
- Ich konnte nicht kommen.I couldn't come.
- Wir mussten früh aufstehen.We had to get up early.
3. Narrative Präteritum
Weak verbs add -te (machen → machte); strong verbs change the vowel (gehen → ging). Used for telling a story.
- Er ging nach Hause.He went home.
- Sie wohnte in Berlin.She lived in Berlin.
Practise it until it sticks
Short drills built on these 3 skills, with instant feedback on every answer. Free to start.