the infinitive – The basic form of any verb, as it appears in a dictionary entry.Let’s examine the principal parts of German verbs that are used in building all of the verb tenses: So in addition to understanding how auxiliary verbs figure in each of the tenses, it is also necessary to know the various parts of the main verb that are used in the formation of the tenses. Present perfect tense = present tense of sein + past participle of the main verb + passive past participle variant worden.Simple past tense = simple past tense of werden + past participle of the main verb.
#GERMAN GRAMMAR CHART PLUS#
tenses that are formed using the main verb plus one or more auxiliary verbs. tenses that are formed using just the main verb, and 4 compound tenses, i.e. German has 6 tenses: 2 finite tenses, i.e. Let’s take a look at how they function in the context of German verb tenses. I mentioned previously (in Lessons from the Top German verbs list) that the 3 most common verbs in German are the ones also used as auxiliaries: sein, haben and werden.