CLASS 6 · LEARNING KNOWLEDGE
Tenses in textual context – basic principles
How it works
Tenses indicate when an action takes place: in the present, in the past or in the future. In German, there are six tenses: Präsens, Präteritum, Perfekt, Plusquamperfekt, Futur I and Futur II. The choice of tense depends on the type of text and the context: In reports, the Präteritum often appears, while in conversations the Präsens is often used. Tenses help make sequences, order and relationships between actions clear, for example in ‹Zuerst hatte sie gegessen, dann ging sie los.›
Note
The tense must fit the textual context: it shows whether an action takes place now, earlier or later and how it is connected with other actions in the text. For example, in ‹Ich spiele heute Fußball.› the Präsens is used, in ‹Ich spielte gestern Fußball.› the Präteritum.
The tense must fit the textual context: it shows whether an action takes place now, earlier or later and how it is connected with other actions in the text. For example, in ‹Ich spiele heute Fußball.› the Präsens is used, in ‹Ich spielte gestern Fußball.› the Präteritum.
An example
In which tense is the verb in ‹Ich gehe nach Hause›?
The verb ‹gehe› is in the Präsens because the action happens in the present.
Try it yourself now
50 Exercises
To the learning unit →Own explanation and own practice exercises by AmyMath. Subject reference framework: German. The topic assignment may vary by federal state.