B1.1 - Kurze Vergangenheit Präteritum. Schritte Plus Neu 5, Lektion 1, Teil A

Summary

This German lesson explains the use of the **Präteritum** (simple past) tense, highlighting its importance in formal writing and its comparison to the **Perfekt** (present perfect) tense, which is more commonly used in conversation. The script details how to form the Präteritum with regular and irregular verbs, and introduces modal verbs in the past tense. The lesson emphasizes when to use Präteritum in formal contexts such as reports, stories, and articles, while Perfekt is used for informal writing. Key exceptions, such as the verbs 'sein' and 'haben', are also covered.

Takeaways

• 😀 **Präteritum** (Simple Past) is used mainly in formal writing, such as reports, newspaper articles, and stories.
• 😀 **Perfekt** (Present Perfect) is commonly used in spoken German, particularly in informal conversations with family and friends.
• 😀 In **Perfekt**, the structure consists of two parts: an auxiliary verb (**haben** or **sein**) and the past participle (**Partizip 2**).
• 😀 **Präteritum** is formed by adding specific endings to the verb stem: **-te** for regular verbs, and stem changes for irregular verbs.
• 😀 Irregular verbs in **Präteritum** undergo stem changes (e.g., **sehen** → **sah**, **gehen** → **ging**).
• 😀 Modal verbs in **Präteritum** change in form, and the Umlaut (two dots) is often dropped (e.g., **konnte**, **durfte**, **sollte**).
• 😀 **Perfekt** is used when the action is still relevant to the present moment, while **Präteritum** is more for actions that are clearly in the past.
• 😀 The **Perfekt** is more complex to write because it uses more words (e.g., **habe gelernt**, which has 11 letters).
• 😀 **Präteritum** is often used for storytelling and fairy tales (e.g., Märchen), where the action is told as a sequence of events.
• 😀 For certain verbs, like **sein** (to be), **haben** (to have), and **denken** (to think), the **Präteritum** is used in both spoken and written forms more frequently.

Q & A

What is the focus of Lesson 1 in the script?

Lesson 1 focuses on the use of the 'Präteritum' tense in German, which is a past tense used to describe actions that happened in the past.

What are the key characteristics of the 'Präteritum' tense?

'Präteritum' is a simple past tense used in German. It is often used in formal writing such as reports, newspaper articles, and stories, where actions are described without auxiliary verbs.

What is the difference between 'Perfekt' and 'Präteritum'?

The 'Perfekt' tense uses two verbs (a helping verb and the past participle) and is typically used in spoken German or informal writing. 'Präteritum', on the other hand, uses only one verb and is more common in formal writing.

When is the 'Perfekt' tense used in writing?

'Perfekt' is used in informal writing, especially when talking about events relevant to the present moment, such as in personal letters or emails to family and friends.

Why is 'Perfekt' considered less efficient for writing compared to 'Präteritum'?

'Perfekt' is less efficient because it requires two verbs and many characters, which takes up more space and time to write. This is not ideal for texts that need to be concise.

What are the two categories of verbs in German, and how do they differ?

German verbs are categorized into 'weak' (regular) and 'strong' (irregular) verbs. Weak verbs follow a regular pattern in the past tense, while strong verbs undergo vowel changes and have unique past tense forms.

What is the rule for forming the 'Präteritum' of weak verbs?

To form the 'Präteritum' of weak verbs, you add the letter 't' to the stem of the verb, such as 'lernen' becoming 'lernte' or 'kaufen' becoming 'kaufte'.

What are examples of strong verbs in the 'Präteritum'?

Examples of strong verbs in the 'Präteritum' include 'sehen' (sah), 'lesen' (las), 'gehen' (ging), 'essen' (aß), and 'geben' (gab). These verbs undergo changes in the stem vowel.

Which verbs are exceptions and are used in 'Präteritum' in spoken language?

The verbs 'sein' (to be), 'haben' (to have), 'denken' (to think), 'finden' (to find), and 'wissen' (to know) are often used in the 'Präteritum' form in spoken language.

What is the role of modal verbs in the 'Präteritum' tense?

Modal verbs like 'wollen' (to want), 'können' (to be able to), 'dürfen' (to be allowed to), 'sollen' (should), and 'müssen' (must) also follow the 'Präteritum' pattern, with forms such as 'wollte', 'konnte', 'durfte', 'sollte', and 'musste'.