This key facts covers Key facts to learn within The imperfect of haben and sein (war, hatte, es gab) for GCSE German. Revise The imperfect of haben and sein (war, hatte, es gab) in Time Markers and the Three Time Frames for GCSE German with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 3 of 4 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📌 Key facts to learn
- war = was (past of sein): ich war, du warst, er war, wir waren
- hatte = had (past of haben): ich hatte, du hattest, er hatte
- es gab = there was / there were (past of es gibt)
- use these instead of the perfect for sein, haben and es gibt
- these are the only imperfect forms you need at Foundation
Practice questions for The imperfect of haben and sein (war, hatte, es gab)
What is the imperfect (simple past) of 'ich bin' (I am)?
What is the imperfect (simple past) of 'ich habe' (I have)?
Quick recall flashcards
Es war toll.
It was great. A high-value opinion phrase for past description. Also: Es war langweilig (it was boring).
Ich war müde.
I was tired. war = imperfect of sein. Note the umlaut in müde (tired).