Which verbs take haben and which take sein in the past tense?

All verbs which indicate movement (or lack thereof) require sein. Everything else requires haben. For example, 'ich bin gegangen,' and 'ich bin geblieben' both refer to movement/lack of movement, which is why they take sein. 'Essen,' for example, does not make any reference to position or movement, which is why we say 'ich habe gegessen'.

Answered by Chris D. German tutor

1789 Views

See similar German GCSE tutors

Related German GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Translate the following: "In Deutschland feiern wir viele Feste. Ostern und Weihnachten sind die größten Feste. Natürlich gibt es auch noch mehr Feiertage, aber an den anderen gibt es normalerweise keine Geschenke."


What are the differences between the various endings of adjectives in German?


How is the future I tense formed?


Can you explain the difference between duerfen and muessen in the positive and negative?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo
Cookie Preferences