From Present To Past
Present: Er weint. Perfect: Er hat geweint.
This quiz will give you more practice with the perfect tense in German. You'll need to select or supply the right version of haben or sein and/or the appropriate past participle. The questions become harder as you work through the quiz.
To make the quiz more interesting and challenging, some questions will require you to choose between sentences with varying word order as well.
Don't forget, in a standard German sentence, the conjugated verb comes second. Write this rule in your workbook. Murmur it every morning whilst cleaning your teeth. Chant it Read moresoftly to yourself before going to sleep. Repeat it with your wedding vows.
Questions and Answers
- 1.
Present: Sie liest das Buch. Perfect: Sie hat das Buch ____________.
Explanation
The correct answer is "gelesen" because it is the past participle form of the verb "lesen" (to read) in German. The perfect tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb "haben" (to have) in the present tense followed by the past participle of the main verb. In this case, "hat" is the present tense form of "haben" and "gelesen" is the past participle of "lesen". Therefore, the correct sentence in the perfect tense is "Sie hat das Buch gelesen" which means "She has read the book."Rate this question:
- 2.
Present: Das Mädchen duscht. Perfect: Sie hat ____________.
Explanation
The given question is asking for the correct form of the verb "duschen" in the perfect tense, which requires the auxiliary verb "haben" and the past participle of the main verb. In this case, the subject "das Mädchen" is feminine singular, so the correct form of the auxiliary verb is "hat". The past participle of "duschen" is "geduscht". Therefore, the correct answer is "geduscht", which means "showered" in English.Rate this question:
- 3.
Present: Ich spüle jeden Abend das Geschirr. Perfect: Gestern __________________________.
- A.
Ich habe das Geschirr gespült
- B.
Habe ich das Geschirr gespült
- C.
Habe ich das Geschirr gespülen
Correct Answer
B. Habe ich das Geschirr gespültExplanation
Option A is wrong because after "Gestern" the conjugated verb, "habe", must come next.
Option C is wrong because the past participle for "spülen" is regular; that is, you add "ge" to the beginning of the verb stem and "t" to the end.Rate this question:
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- 4.
Present: Ich schreibe gerade einen Brief. Perfect: Letzte Woche habe ich einen Brief _______________.
Correct Answer
geschriebenExplanation
Don't forget that "schreiben" has an irregular past participle. This means that the vowel sound changes, in this case to "geschrieben".Rate this question:
- 5.
Present: Ich komme zu spät. Perfect: ______________________
- A.
Ich habe zu spät gekommen.
- B.
Ich bin zu spät gekommen.
- C.
Ich bin zu spät gekommt.
Correct Answer
B. Ich bin zu spät gekommen.Explanation
Option A is wrong because with verbs of movement like "gehen" and "kommen", one must use "sein" as the auxiliary verb. Therefore one must say, "ich bin gekommen", "ich bin gegangen" or "wir sind gekommen".
Option C is incorrect because "kommen" has an irregular past participle: "gekommen".Rate this question:
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- 6.
Present: In der Mittagspause spielen die Jungen Fußball. Perfect: In der Mittagspause haben die Jungen Fußball ________________.
Correct Answer
gespieltExplanation
The correct answer is "gespielt" because the given sentence is in the present tense, indicating that the boys play soccer during their lunch break. To form the perfect tense, the auxiliary verb "haben" is used in combination with the past participle of the main verb, which in this case is "gespielt." This construction indicates that the boys have played soccer during their lunch break.Rate this question:
- 7.
Present: Die Schüler spielen an den Computern. Perfect: Gestern __________________________ .
- A.
Hat die Schüler an den Computern gespielt
- B.
Die Schüler haben an den Computern gespielt
- C.
Haben die Schüler an den Computern gespielt
Correct Answer
C. Haben die Schüler an den Computern gespieltExplanation
Option A is incorrect because "die Schüler" is plural and requires "haben".
Option B is incorrect because after "Gestern" the conjugated verb, in this case "haben", must come second in the sentence.Rate this question:
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- 8.
Present: Meine Katze schläft auf meinem Bett. Perfect: Meine Katze hat auf meinem Bett ______________.
Correct Answer
geschlafenExplanation
Many common English verbs with an irregular past participle are also irregular in German. The verb "to sleep" is an example; we say "slept" (not sleeped). Common verbs such as "to come", "to go", "to speak" and "to take" are irregular in both languages. So if a verb is irregular in English, be suspicious that it might be irregular in German. In German the past participles for the four verbs I have just mentioned are respectively "gekommen", "gegangen", "gesprochen" and "genommen".Rate this question:
- 9.
Present: Ich spreche mit der Lehrerin. Perfect: Letzte Woche __________________________________.
- A.
Habe ich mit der Lehrerin gesprochen
- B.
Ich habe mit der Lehrerin gesprochen
- C.
Habe ich mit der Lehrerin gesprecht
Correct Answer
A. Habe ich mit der Lehrerin gesprochenExplanation
Option A has the correct word order (with the conjugated verb second) and also the correct past participle. Once again, this is a common verb that is irregular in English ("spoken"), often a sign that it is likely to be irregular in German. Therefore "gesprochen" is the correct choice.Rate this question:
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- 10.
Present: Meine Tochter geht zum Bäcker und kauft Brötchen. Perfect: Meine Tochter _____ zum Bäcker ____________ und _______ Brötchen ____________.
- A.
Hat - gegangen - hat - gekauft
- B.
Hat - gekauft - ist - gegangen
- C.
Ist - gegangen - hat - gekauft
Correct Answer
C. Ist - gegangen - hat - gekauftExplanation
Option A is incorrect because with the verb "to go" the auxiliary verb is always sein. Option B is wrong because it doesn't make sense; the meanings don't fit.Rate this question:
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- 11.
Present: Die Katze kommt ins Schlafzimmer. Ich bleibe im Bett, aber mein Mann geht in die Küche und macht Frühstück für meine Tochter und die Katze. Perfect: Heute Morgen um sieben Uhr _____ die Katze ins Schlafzimmer ________________. Ich ________ im Bett __________, aber mein Mann _______ in die Küche ___________ und _______ Frühstück für meine Tochter und die Katze _____________.
- A.
Ist - gekommen - habe - geblieben - ist - gegangen - hat - gemacht
- B.
Hat - gekommen - habe - geblieben - hat - gegangen - hat - gemacht
- C.
Ist - gekommen - bin - geblieben - ist - gegangen - hat - gemacht
Correct Answer
C. Ist - gekommen - bin - geblieben - ist - gegangen - hat - gemachtExplanation
Option A must be ruled out because with the verb "to stay", which refers to a state of being (like the verb to be), one must use the auxiliary "sein".
Option 2 is incorrect because the three verbs "kommen", "bleiben" and "gehen" all use the auxiliary "sein" in the perfect tense.Rate this question:
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- 12.
Present: Ich hole meine Bücher aus meinem Schließfach. Perfect: Ich habe meine Bücher aus meinem Schließfach __________.
Correct Answer
geholtExplanation
The correct answer is "geholt" because it is the past participle form of the verb "holen" (to fetch). In the perfect tense, we use the auxiliary verb "haben" (to have) conjugated in the present tense and add the past participle of the main verb. Therefore, "Ich habe meine Bücher aus meinem Schließfach geholt" translates to "I have fetched my books from my locker."Rate this question:
- 13.
Present: Ich bin heute sehr beschäftigt. Perfect: Ich bin heute sehr beschäftigt ___________.
Correct Answer
gewesenExplanation
The correct answer is "gewesen" because the perfect tense in German is formed by using the auxiliary verb "sein" (to be) and the past participle of the main verb. In this case, the main verb is "beschäftigt" (busy) and the past participle is "gewesen" (been). Therefore, the correct sentence in the perfect tense is "Ich bin heute sehr beschäftigt gewesen" which translates to "I have been very busy today."Rate this question:
- 14.
Present: Er geht zur Toilette. Perfect: Er ist zur Toilette _________.
Correct Answer
gegangenExplanation
The given correct answer is "gegangen". In this sentence, the verb "gehen" (to go) is used in the perfect tense, which requires the auxiliary verb "sein" (to be) and the past participle "gegangen" (gone). Therefore, the correct form is "Er ist zur Toilette gegangen" (He has gone to the toilet).Rate this question:
- 15.
Present: Das kleine Kind schläft auf dem Sofa. Perfect: Das kleine Kind hat auf dem Sofa _______________
Correct Answer
geschlafenExplanation
The correct answer is "geschlafen" because it is the past participle form of the verb "schlafen" (to sleep) in the perfect tense. In German, the perfect tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb "haben" (to have) and the past participle of the main verb. Therefore, "Das kleine Kind hat auf dem Sofa geschlafen" translates to "The little child has slept on the sofa" in English.Rate this question:
- 16.
Present: Der dicke Mann schläft auf dem Sofa ein. Perfect: Der dicke Mann ist auf dem Sofa ________________.
Correct Answer
eingeschlafenExplanation
Since the verb "to fall asleep" denotes a change of state, you have to use "sein" as the auxiliary verb. Remember that you tuck the "ge" prefix between the two parts of separable verbs in the perfect tense.Rate this question:
- 17.
Present: Ich mache die Betten, räume das Wohnzimmer auf und füttere die Katze! Perfect: Ich _______ die Betten _________, das Wohnzimmer ___________ und die Katze ____________!
- A.
Bin - gemacht - aufgeräumt - gefüttert
- B.
Habe - gemacht - geaufräumt - gefüttert
- C.
Habe - gemacht - aufgeräumt - gefüttert
Correct Answer
C. Habe - gemacht - aufgeräumt - gefüttertExplanation
Option A is incorrect because all of these verbs require "haben" as their auxiliary. Option B is incorrect because the "ge" prefix must be inserted between the two parts of a separable verb in the perfect tense.Rate this question:
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- 18.
Present: Sie sagt nichts. Perfect: Sie hat nichts ___________.
Correct Answer
gesagtExplanation
The given sentence states that "Sie sagt nichts" which means "She says nothing" in English. The correct answer is "gesagt" which is the past participle of the verb "sagen" meaning "to say". Therefore, in the perfect tense, the sentence would be "Sie hat nichts gesagt" which translates to "She has said nothing".Rate this question:
- 19.
Present: Der Wecker klingelt nicht. Perfect: Der Wecker hat nicht ___________.
Correct Answer
geklingeltExplanation
The correct answer is "geklingelt" because it is the past participle form of the verb "klingeln" (to ring). In the given sentence, the present tense "klingelt" is negated by "nicht" (not), indicating that the alarm clock is not ringing. To form the perfect tense in German, we use the auxiliary verb "haben" (to have) in the present tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Therefore, "geklingelt" is the correct past participle form of "klingeln" to complete the sentence in the perfect tense, indicating that the alarm clock has not rung.Rate this question:
- 20.
Present: Das Kind isst das Ei. Perfect: Das Kind hat das Ei ________________.
Correct Answer
gegessenExplanation
The correct answer is "gegessen" because it is the past participle form of the verb "essen" (to eat) in German. The perfect tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb "haben" (to have) and the past participle of the main verb. In this case, "hat" is the conjugated form of "haben" for the third person singular (das Kind) and "gegessen" is the past participle of "essen". Therefore, the correct sentence in the perfect tense is "Das Kind hat das Ei gegessen" which translates to "The child has eaten the egg."Rate this question:
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Mar 19, 2023Quiz Edited by
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Oct 31, 2012Quiz Created by
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