Verbs

The auxiliary verbs haben and sein

Hilfsverben haben und sein

In German, the verbs haben and sein are used as auxiliary verbs to build sentences in the following tenses: Perfekt, Plusquamperfekt, and Futur II. Whether in a given sentence we use the verb haben or sein largely depends on the verb and whether the performed activity involves movement with a change of location or change of state.

Applications and declension

Sentences with the auxiliary verb haben
  • Translation
  • I did the homework.
  • Explanation
  • The past tense Perfekt, auxiliary verb haben for the verb machen.
  • Translation
  • I had done the homework before we went to cinema.
  • Explanation
  • Tense: Plusquamperfekt, auxiliary verb haben for the verb machen
  • Translation
  • By the time the teacher comes, I will have done the homework.
  • Explanation
  • The future perfect tense Futur II, an auxiliary verb haben for the verb machen
  • Translation
  • I was lucky.
  • Explanation
  • The past tense Perfekt, auxiliary verb haben for the verb haben.

Conjugation of the verb haben

Person Präsens Präteritum Partizip II
ich habe hatte gehabt
du hast hattest gehabt
er/sie/es hat hatte gehabt
wir haben hatten gehabt
ihr habt hattet gehabt
sie/Sie haben hatten gehabt
When the auxiliary verb haben must be used

The vast majority of verbs in German use the auxiliary verb haben to build sentences in the tenses Perfekt, Plusquamperfekt and Futur I . Below you can find a few rules that make use of the auxiliary verb haben necessary.

Transitive verbs with an accusative object (Akkusativobjekt)
  • Translation
  • We cooked soup.
Intransitive verbs that do not express motion, change of position or change of state
  • Translation
  • I slept.
  • Translation
  • I really liked my previous car.
Reflexive verbs
  • Translation
  • She got angry because of that.
Reciprocal verbs
  • Translation
  • We met at the bar.
Impersonal verbs describing weather or atmospheric conditions
  • Translation
  • It rained the whole week.
Other verbs

There are other verbs that are not covered by any of the above rules for the use of the auxiliary verb sein

  • Translation
  • I worked for 8 hours.
Sentences with the auxiliary verb sein
  • Translation
  • The train has left.
  • Explanation
  • The past tense Perfekt, auxiliary verb sein for the verb ab|fahren.
  • Translation
  • By the time we arrived to the station, the train had already left.
  • Explanation
  • Tense: Plusquamperfekt, auxiliary verb sein for the verb ab|fahren
  • Translation
  • By the time the police come, I will have run away.
  • Explanation
  • The future perfect tense Futur II, an auxiliary verb sein for the verb fliehen
  • Translation
  • I wasn't there.
  • Explanation
  • The past tense Perfekt, auxiliary verb sein for the verb sein.

Conjugation of the verb sein

Person Präsens Präteritum Partizip II
ich bin war gewesen
du bist warst gewesen
er/sie/es ist war gewesen
wir sind waren gewesen
ihr seid wart gewesen
sie/Sie sind waren gewesen
When the auxiliary verb sein must be used

Verbs using the auxiliary verb sein to build sentences in the tenses Perfekt, Plusquamperfekt, Futur II are in the minority. Sometimes these verbs simply need to be memorized, but in some situations the following rules come in handy.

Intransitive verbs describing motion with a change of location
  • Translation
  • I went to school.
Intransitive verbs describing senses
  • Translation
  • The water froze.
Passive sentences
  • Translation
  • The patient was operated on.
  • Explanation
  • The past tense Perfekt, auxiliary verb sein for the verb werden in a passive sentence.
The verb sein
  • Translation
  • I was ill last week.
The verb bleiben
  • Translation
  • Yesterday we stayed home.
The verb werden
  • Translation
  • I became a father today.
The verb passieren
  • Translation
  • There was an accident on this street.
Majority of the verbs ending with -fallen
  • Translation
  • It immediately struck me that something was wrong here.
Majority of the verbs ending with -gehen
  • Translation
  • The police followed an anonymous tip.

Exceptions and special cases

Verbs that depending on the context may be used with haben or sein

If a change of location is not directly mentioned in a sentence, sometimes the auxiliary verb haben can be used for a verb that generally describes movement. These verbs are mainly: joggen, klettern, schwimmen.

  • Translation
  • He swam to the shore.
  • Translation
  • Yesterday I was swimming for two hours.
  • Translation
  • We ran through the woods.
  • Translation
  • As a kid I used to run a lot. (or As a kid I ran a lot)
  • Translation
  • I climbed to the top.
  • Translation
  • I was climbing for two hours yesterday.
The verb tanzen

If a motion with a change of location is not explicitly mentioned in a sentence with the verb tanzen, the auxiliary verb haben has to be used.

  • Translation
  • She danced across the dance hall. (in the sense of e.g. from one end of the dance floor to the other)
  • Translation
  • She danced a lot in the childhood.
  • Translation
  • She danced salsa.
The verbs liegen, sitzen and stehen

The aforementioned verbs generally use the auxiliary verb haben, but in the following regions: southern Germany (DE Süd), Austria (AT) and Switzerland (CH), the auxiliary verb sein is used instead.

  • Translation
  • I was lying on the bed.
  • Translation
  • Grandpa sat (or was sitting) in an armchair.
  • Translation
  • We stood in the queue.
Verbs that can be both transitive and intransitive

In German, some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive. Usually, when the same verb is used transitively, it has a different meaning and auxiliary verb than when it is used intransitively.

  • Translation
  • I went to Berlin by car yesterday.
  • Explanation
  • The intransitive verb fahren + the auxiliary verb sein
  • Translation
  • Yesterday my father drove me to Berlin.
  • Explanation
  • The transitive verb fahren + the auxiliary verb haben