VerbsA1

Compound past tense with hunn/sinn + past participle

Compound past tense with hunn/sinn + past participle

Learning Goal

Can describe past events using Perfekt with hunn/sinn

Exam Skills:LauschterenLiesenSchreiwenSchwätzen

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Ech hunn haut vill geschafft.

I worked a lot today.

Si ass gëschter komm.

She came yesterday.

Mir hunn ze Mëtteg giess.

We ate lunch.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

D'Vergaangenheet (Perfekt) gëtt mat hunn oder sinn + Partizip geformt:

HëllefsverbBeispillPartizip
hunnEch hunn giess.giess (iessen)
hunnDu hues geschafft.geschafft (schaffen)
sinnHien ass gaangen.gaangen (goen)
sinnSi sinn komm.komm (kommen)

Reegel: Sinn gëtt mat Beweegungsverben (goen, kommen, fueren) an Zoustandsännerung (bleiwen, ginn) benotzt. All aner Verben: hunn.

Partizip: reegelméisseg: ge- + Stamm + -t (geschafft). Onreegelméisseg: gi- + Stamm oder ganz anescht (giess, gaangen, komm).

Choosing hunn vs sinn as auxiliary, and forming irregular participles. 🇬🇧 English speakers:

Common Error Patterns

Wrong auxiliary (hunn vs sinn)

Sinn for movement/change-of-state verbs (goen, kommen, fueren, bleiwen). Hunn for all others.

Wrong past participle form

Regular: ge- + stem + -t. Irregular verbs must be memorized: iessen→giess, goen→gaangen

Ech hunn haut vill geschafft.

I worked a lot today.

Hunn + geschafft (regular participle: ge- + schaff + -t).

Si ass gëschter komm.

She came yesterday.

Sinn for movement verbs. Komm = come (irregular participle, no ge-).

Mir hunn ze Mëtteg giess.

We ate lunch.

Giess is the irregular participle of iessen (to eat). Hunn as auxiliary.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course
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