The Präteritum of sein, haben and werden
In German, the Präteritum is generally the past tense used in written language. However, three verbs are also very commonly used in the Präteritum in everyday speech: sein, haben and werden.
These verbs appear in almost every kind of past situation, so learning their forms and uses is especially important.
The Präteritum of sein
The verb sein means “to be”. Its Präteritum is irregular and has completely different forms.
Conjugation
- ich war
- du warst
- er/sie/es war
- wir waren
- ihr wart
- sie/Sie waren
Examples
- Ich war gestern zu Hause. – I was at home yesterday.
- Wir waren sehr müde. – We were very tired.
- Warst du krank? – Were you ill?
The Präteritum of haben
The verb haben means “to have” or “to possess something”. Its Präteritum is also irregular and is used very frequently when talking about the past.
Conjugation
- ich hatte
- du hattest
- er/sie/es hatte
- wir hatten
- ihr hattet
- sie/Sie hatten
Examples
- Ich hatte keine Zeit. – I had no time.
- Er hatte Glück. – He was lucky.
- Hattet ihr gestern Schule? – Did you have school yesterday?
The Präteritum of werden
The verb werden can mean “to become”. It is also used as an auxiliary verb for the future and the passive voice. Its Präteritum is irregular as well.
Conjugation
- ich wurde
- du wurdest
- er/sie/es wurde
- wir wurden
- ihr wurdet
- sie/Sie wurden
Examples
- Es wurde dunkel. – It became dark.
- Er wurde Arzt. – He became a doctor.
- Wurdet ihr eingeladen? – Were you invited?
Practice sentences
- Yesterday I was at home. – Ich war gestern zu Hause.
- I had no money. – Ich hatte kein Geld.
- You were lucky. – Du hattest Glück.
- He became a doctor. – Er wurde Arzt.
- We were tired. – Wir waren müde.
- Were you invited? – Wurdet ihr eingeladen?
- He was ill. – Er war krank.
- They had no time. – Sie hatten keine Zeit.
- It became cold. – Es wurde kalt.
Key points
- sein, haben and werden have a special role in learning the German past tense because they are commonly used in the Präteritum in spoken language too.
- All three verbs are irregular, so their conjugations need to be learned separately.
- Negation and questions work in the same way as with other verbs.
- These verbs are essential for telling stories and describing situations in the past.
Practical steps
- Memorise the six forms of sein, haben and werden.
- Read the example sentences aloud and pay attention to the verb endings.
- Write three sentences about yesterday using war, hatte and wurde.
- Practise changing statements into questions, such as Du warst krank. and Warst du krank?
- Use these three verbs whenever you describe past experiences in German.