Präteritum of strong verbs
B1 · Intermediate · Advanced Structures
The rule
Stem change: ging, kam, sah, fuhr.
How it works
Strong verbs change the stem vowel in the simple past and take no -te ending: gehen → ging, kommen → kam, sehen → sah, fahren → fuhr. The first and third person singular forms have no ending. Learning the simple past alongside the participle is the most efficient way to memorise these verbs.
When to use it
Form the simple past of irregular (strong) verbs, which change the stem vowel: ging, kam, sah, fuhr.
Use cases
- Describing journeys in the past: Wir fuhren mit dem Zug nach Berlin
- Describing seeing or finding things: Sie sah den Hund im Garten
- Writing narratives with irregular verbs: Er gab mir das Buch zurück
Examples
- Sie ging nach Hause – She went home
- Ich nahm den Bus zur Schule. – I took the bus to school.
- Das Kind lief schnell nach Hause. – The child ran home quickly.
- Er schrieb einen langen Brief. – He wrote a long letter.
Common mistake
Adding a regular -te ending: "gehte" is wrong, "ging" is right.
Memory tip
Learn the simple past with the infinitive: gehen – ging, kommen – kam, sehen – sah.
Read the wider picture in our guide: German Verbs and Word Order: Tenses, Modals and Sentence Structure.