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As in English, the simple past tense (preterite) in German (Präteritum) is used to describe an action or event within a time frame that is completed, e.g.
Gestern rannte ich nach Hause - I ran home yesterday.
However it is normal for native German speakers to use the present perfect (Perfekt) in lieu of the simple past tense, e.g.
Gestern bin ich nach Hause gerannt - lit. I have run home yesterday but in the sense of I ran home yesterday.
When forming the simple past, weak verbs add -(e)te, -(e)test, -(e)ten, or -(e)tet to the stem:
Ich sagte das. I said that.
Wir machten die Tür zu. We closed the door
Du kauftest zu viel. You bought too much.
Ihr wohntet neben uns. You all lived next to us
Sie arbeiteten hart. You worked hard.
Es regnete stark. It rained hard.
Sie redeten viel. They talked a lot.
Irregular weak verbs and auxiliary modals add the same endings as above to a (usually) changed stem:
Ich wollte das hören. I wanted to hear it.
Wir durften das nicht sagen We weren't allowed to say that.
Du konntest das nicht wissen You couldn't know that.
Sie nannten ihn Hans They named him Hans.
Strong verbs (usually) change the stem and add either no ending or -st, -en, or -t:
Ich ging nach Hause. I went home.
Sie las das Buch. She read the book.
Du sprachst zu schnell. You spoke too quickly.
Sie schrieben es auf Deutsch. They wrote it in German.
Ihr halft uns nicht. You didn't help us.
When using verbs with separable prefixes the prefix goes to the end of the sentence:
Sie brachte ihren neuen Freund mit. She brought her new boyfriend along.
Er rief seine Mutter nie an. He never rang his mother.
In spoken German, the simple past tense is often perceived as too formal, so colloquial passages often use the present perfect:
Ich bin nach Hause gegangen und habe die Koffer gepackt - lit. I have gone home and packed the suitcases but in the sense of I went home and packed the suitcases.
The use of present perfect instead of simple past is not considered incorrect by German speakers but is based on the fact that many German dialects simply don't have a simple past (preterite) tense.
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Is build past or present tense?
Build is present tense. The past tense is built.
What is the past tense build?
The past tense of "build" would be "built".
How do you spell past tense of build?
The past tense of "build" is spelled "built".
What is the past tense of build burst do eat go ride ring?
The past tense of build is built. The past tense of burst stays the same (burst). The past tense of do is did. The past tense of eat is ate. The past tense of go is went. The past tense of ride is rode. The past tense of ring is rang.
What is the simple past tense of the verb build?
Past perfect is formed with had + past participle.The past participle of build is built. So the past perfect is had built.I had built the house ten years before the earthquake.
Is the sentence she built a snowman a past tense or present tense?
It's a past tense sentence. Built is the past tense of build.
What tense is built?
Built is the past tense of build.
What is the difference from built and build?
Build is the present tense of the verb "to build". Built is the past tense of the verb "to build".
What is the difference between build and built?
Built is a past tense adjective, "the house is built." Build is a verb "please build me a house."
Is builded a word?
No, "builded" is not a standard English word. The correct past tense of "build" is "built."
What is the past tense of rebuild?
The past tense of rebuild is rebuilt. It follows the same conjugation as the verb build, which has the past tense built.
What is the past tence and past participle of build?
The past tense of "build" is "built" and the past participle is also "built."
