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10.6.1.2: Das Imperfekt

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    108507
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    Verbs:Das Imperfekt - Regelmäßige Verben

    The Präteritum (aka simple past, Imperfekt, narrative past) is the more formal of the two German past tenses: simple past and conversational past (aka present perfect). For the most part, it is used in formal and literary written texts (e.g., a novel, a police report, newspaper articles).

    North Germans often use the Präteritum for certain verbs even when they speak (e.g., modal verbs, sein, haben, wissen). Southern Germans would most likely use the Perfekt.

    Die Märchenfiguren erinnern sich an die guten alten Zeiten (the fairy tale characters are remembering the good old times).

    Als sie noch Märchenfigur war, spielte Dornröschen mit alten Spindeln. When she was still a fairy tale character, Sleeping Beauty played with old spindles.
    Aschenputtel tanzte jeden Tag auf dem Ball. Cinderella danced every day at the ball.
    Die Hexe kochte und backte ... vor allem kleine ahnungslose Kinder! The witch cooked and baked ... mostly little unsuspecting children!
    Und der Prinz? Er küsste jede Menge Prinzessinnen! And the prince kissed loads of princesses!

    vsp_01_01_gd-old-tmes-girls.gif

    Forming the simple past of regular verbs

    kochen • cook
    ich kochte wir kochten
    du kochtest ihr kochtet
    er/sie/es kochte sie kochten

    spielen • play
    ich spielte wir spielten
    du spieltest ihr spieltet
    er/sie/es spielte sie spielten

    Other regular verbs

    arbeiten (work) erzählen (tell story) lachen (laugh) suchen (search for)
    bauen (build) feiern (celebrate) leben (live) tanzen (dance)
    besuchen (visit) fragen (ask question) lernen (learn) telefonieren (call)
    bewegen (move) heiraten (marry) lieben (love) träumen (dream)
    blicken (look) hoffen (hope) machen (do) wandern (hike, roam)
    brauchen (need) hören (hear) planen (plan) weinen (cry)
    danken (thank) kaufen (buy) reisen (travel) wohnen (live)
    dienen (serve) kosten (cost) sagen (say) wünschen (wish)
    diskutieren (discuss) küssen (kiss)    

    This page titled 10.6.1.2: Das Imperfekt is shared under a CC BY license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Zsuzsanna Abrams and co-workers (Center for Open Educational Resources and Language Learning) .

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