The verbs sein and haben in the simple past tense in German

Understanding grammar is key to understanding a language.
Learn how to use The verbs sein and haben in the simple past tense in German and many other tips and tricks with Wunderbla.
Test your German level for free today.

TEST YOUR GERMAN Free trial and no commitment to buy
4,6 on App Store, Play Store and Trustpilot
More than 7 million learners worldwide

The verbs sein and haben in the simple past tense

This is how sein (to be) and haben (to have) are conjugated in the Präteritum (simple past tense):

sein en
ich war
du warst
er/sie/es war
wir waren
ihr wart
sie/Sie waren
haben en
ich hatte
du hattest
er/sie/es hatte
wir hatten
ihr hattet
sie/Sie hatten

Note: in spoken German, the verbs sein (to be) and haben (to have) are mostly used in the simple past tense, not in the perfect tense (for example, ich war rather than ich bin gewesen).

Tim hatte Angst.

Tim was afraid.

Der Plan war nicht optimal.

The plan was not ideal.


Still facing difficulties with 'The verbs sein and haben in the simple past tense'? Learn and enhance your German grammar through our online German course. Start with a free test and improve today!

TEST YOUR GERMAN

What our users say:

Pleasure

         

I enjoy doing my online German lessons. Only ten minutes daily are enough...Thank you!

Innovative

         

I love your innovative method which allows me to learn a new language and have fun at the same time!

Unique

         

Your method is unique! Your courses have helped me to progress and gain confidence during my travels.

Progress

         

Gymglish has allowed me to improve my German. A daily routine I wouldn't miss for anything in the world!

More testimonials.

Improve your German further and test Wunderbla, online German lessons.