{"id":264,"date":"2026-10-12T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/?p=264"},"modified":"2026-10-31T09:10:07","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:10:07","slug":"german-perfekt-haben-sein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/german-perfekt-haben-sein\/","title":{"rendered":"German Perfekt: When to Use haben and When to Use sein"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Perfekt is the tense you use for almost everything in the past when you <em>speak<\/em> German. <em>Ich habe gegessen. Ich bin nach Hause gegangen. Wir haben Deutsch gelernt.<\/em> It has two parts: a form of <em>haben<\/em> or <em>sein<\/em> in position 2, and a past participle at the very end. The only real question is which helper verb to use, and that has a clear answer for almost every verb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How the Perfekt is built<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>helper verb<\/strong> (position 2) + &#8230; + <strong>past participle<\/strong> (end of clause)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Ich <strong>habe<\/strong> gestern Pizza <strong>gegessen<\/strong>. (I ate pizza yesterday.)<\/li><li>Wir <strong>sind<\/strong> nach Berlin <strong>gefahren<\/strong>. (We went to Berlin.)<\/li><li><strong>Hast<\/strong> du das <strong>verstanden<\/strong>? (Did you understand that?)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Note that the participle sits at the end, and everything else (time, place, objects) fits between. It&#8217;s the same &#8220;sandwich&#8221; that you know from <a href=\"\/blog\/separable-verbs-german\/\">separable verbs<\/a> and modals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">haben or sein? One rule with two parts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Use <em>sein<\/em> if the verb:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>describes a change of place<\/strong> (movement from A to B): <em>gehen, fahren, fliegen, kommen, laufen, reisen, ankommen, abfahren<\/em><\/li><li><strong>describes a change of state<\/strong> (becoming something): <em>aufwachen, einschlafen, aufstehen, werden, sterben, wachsen<\/em><\/li><li><strong>is one of three special verbs:<\/strong> <em>sein, bleiben, passieren<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Use <em>haben<\/em> for everything else.<\/strong> This includes all verbs with an accusative object (<em>essen, kaufen, sehen, machen<\/em>), all reflexive verbs (<em>sich waschen<\/em>), <a href=\"\/blog\/german-modal-verbs\/\">and all modal verbs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Verb<\/th><th>Helper<\/th><th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>gehen<\/td><td>sein<\/td><td>Ich <strong>bin<\/strong> ins Kino <strong>gegangen<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>fahren<\/td><td>sein<\/td><td>Er <strong>ist<\/strong> nach Wien <strong>gefahren<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>kommen<\/td><td>sein<\/td><td>Sie <strong>ist<\/strong> sp\u00e4t <strong>gekommen<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>aufstehen<\/td><td>sein<\/td><td>Wir <strong>sind<\/strong> um sechs <strong>aufgestanden<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>bleiben<\/td><td>sein<\/td><td>Ich <strong>bin<\/strong> zu Hause <strong>geblieben<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>sein<\/td><td>sein<\/td><td>Es <strong>ist<\/strong> sch\u00f6n <strong>gewesen<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>werden<\/td><td>sein<\/td><td>Er <strong>ist<\/strong> Arzt <strong>geworden<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>essen<\/td><td>haben<\/td><td>Ich <strong>habe<\/strong> Pizza <strong>gegessen<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>machen<\/td><td>haben<\/td><td>Was <strong>hast<\/strong> du <strong>gemacht<\/strong>?<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>kaufen<\/td><td>haben<\/td><td>Sie <strong>hat<\/strong> ein Auto <strong>gekauft<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>sehen<\/td><td>haben<\/td><td>Wir <strong>haben<\/strong> den Film <strong>gesehen<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>lernen<\/td><td>haben<\/td><td>Ich <strong>habe<\/strong> Deutsch <strong>gelernt<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>arbeiten<\/td><td>haben<\/td><td>Er <strong>hat<\/strong> lange <strong>gearbeitet<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>schlafen<\/td><td>haben<\/td><td>Ich <strong>habe<\/strong> gut <strong>geschlafen<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A quick test: <strong>is there a movement to a new place or a change of state?<\/strong> If yes, <em>sein<\/em>. If not, <em>haben<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Verbs that seem to break the rule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Verbs with both:<\/strong> <em>schwimmen, fahren, fliegen<\/em> can take either, depending on the meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>Ich <\/em><em>bin<\/em><em> \u00fcber den Fluss <\/em><em>geschwommen<\/em><em>.<\/em> (movement to a new place: sein)<\/li><li><em>Ich <\/em><em>habe<\/em><em> eine Stunde <\/em><em>geschwommen<\/em><em>.<\/em> (an activity, no destination: haben)<\/li><li><em>Er <\/em><em>ist<\/em><em> nach Hause <\/em><em>gefahren<\/em><em>.<\/em> \/ <em>Er <\/em><em>hat<\/em><em> den Wagen <\/em><em>gefahren<\/em><em>.<\/em> (with an accusative object <em>den Wagen<\/em>: haben)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Regional difference:<\/strong> in southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland, verbs of position (<em>sitzen, stehen, liegen<\/em>) often take <em>sein<\/em>: <em>Ich bin gesessen<\/em>, <em>Ich bin gestanden<\/em>. In northern and standard German it&#8217;s <em>ich habe gesessen<\/em>. Both are heard, and the northern one is safe everywhere, especially in exams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to form the participle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Regular verbs (weak): ge- + stem + -t<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Infinitive<\/th><th>Participle<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>machen<\/td><td><strong>ge<\/strong>mach<strong>t<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>lernen<\/td><td><strong>ge<\/strong>lern<strong>t<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>kaufen<\/td><td><strong>ge<\/strong>kauf<strong>t<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>spielen<\/td><td><strong>ge<\/strong>spiel<strong>t<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>arbeiten<\/td><td><strong>ge<\/strong>arbeit<strong>et<\/strong> (an extra <em>e<\/em> for pronunciation)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Irregular verbs (strong): ge- + stem (often changed) + -en<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Infinitive<\/th><th>Participle<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>essen<\/td><td><strong>ge<\/strong>gess<strong>en<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>trinken<\/td><td><strong>ge<\/strong>trunk<strong>en<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>gehen<\/td><td><strong>ge<\/strong>gang<strong>en<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>sehen<\/td><td><strong>ge<\/strong>seh<strong>en<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>schreiben<\/td><td><strong>ge<\/strong>schrieb<strong>en<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>nehmen<\/td><td><strong>ge<\/strong>nomm<strong>en<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>kommen<\/td><td><strong>ge<\/strong>komm<strong>en<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>sprechen<\/td><td><strong>ge<\/strong>sproch<strong>en<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#8217;s no reliable rule for the vowel change, so learn the participle together with the verb. Dictionaries list it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No <em>ge-<\/em> for three groups<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Inseparable prefixes<\/strong> (<em>be-, ent-, er-, ver-, zer-<\/em>): <em>besuchen \u2192 besucht<\/em>, <em>verstehen \u2192 verstanden<\/em>, <em>bekommen \u2192 bekommen<\/em><\/li><li><strong>Verbs ending in <em>-ieren<\/em>:<\/strong> <em>telefonieren \u2192 telefoniert<\/em>, <em>studieren \u2192 studiert<\/em><\/li><li><strong>Separable verbs put <em>-ge-<\/em> inside:<\/strong> <em>aufstehen \u2192 aufgestanden<\/em>, <em>einkaufen \u2192 eingekauft<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Practise your German out loud with SipLingo, free to try on iPhone and Android:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"siplingo-store-badges\" style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:center;align-items:center;gap:12px;margin:24px 0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/app\/id6783970183\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/app_store.png\" alt=\"Download SipLingo on the App Store\" style=\"height:52px;width:auto;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=ch.zgdevelopment.siplingo&amp;referrer=utm_source%3Dblog%26utm_medium%3Dpost%26utm_campaign%3Dgerman-perfekt-haben-sein%26utm_content%3Dbadge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/play_store.png\" alt=\"Get SipLingo on Google Play\" style=\"height:52px;width:auto;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The 40 verbs to learn first<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>With <em>haben<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Infinitive<\/th><th>Participle<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>arbeiten<\/td><td>gearbeitet<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>bekommen<\/td><td>bekommen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>besuchen<\/td><td>besucht<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>bezahlen<\/td><td>bezahlt<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>bringen<\/td><td>gebracht<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>essen<\/td><td>gegessen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>finden<\/td><td>gefunden<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>geben<\/td><td>gegeben<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>haben<\/td><td>gehabt<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>helfen<\/td><td>geholfen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>kaufen<\/td><td>gekauft<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>kochen<\/td><td>gekocht<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>lernen<\/td><td>gelernt<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>lesen<\/td><td>gelesen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>machen<\/td><td>gemacht<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>nehmen<\/td><td>genommen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>sagen<\/td><td>gesagt<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>schlafen<\/td><td>geschlafen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>schreiben<\/td><td>geschrieben<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>sehen<\/td><td>gesehen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>sprechen<\/td><td>gesprochen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>trinken<\/td><td>getrunken<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>verstehen<\/td><td>verstanden<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>warten<\/td><td>gewartet<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>With <em>sein<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Infinitive<\/th><th>Participle<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>ankommen<\/td><td>angekommen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>aufstehen<\/td><td>aufgestanden<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>bleiben<\/td><td>geblieben<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>fahren<\/td><td>gefahren<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>fliegen<\/td><td>geflogen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>gehen<\/td><td>gegangen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>kommen<\/td><td>gekommen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>laufen<\/td><td>gelaufen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>reisen<\/td><td>gereist<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>sein<\/td><td>gewesen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>werden<\/td><td>geworden<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>einschlafen<\/td><td>eingeschlafen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>umziehen<\/td><td>umgezogen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>passieren<\/td><td>passiert<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>abfahren<\/td><td>abgefahren<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>aussteigen<\/td><td>ausgestiegen<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Perfekt vs Pr\u00e4teritum: what to say in speech<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">German has a second past tense, the Pr\u00e4teritum (<em>ich ging, ich a\u00df<\/em>). In everyday speech, use the Perfekt for nearly everything. <a href=\"\/blog\/praeteritum-vs-perfekt\/\">The Pr\u00e4teritum is mainly for writing<\/a> (stories, news), plus a few very common verbs that are used in speech too:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>sein \u2192 war:<\/strong> <em>Ich war gestern im Kino.<\/em> (rather than <em>ich bin gewesen<\/em>)<\/li><li><strong>haben \u2192 hatte:<\/strong> <em>Ich hatte keine Zeit.<\/em><\/li><li><strong>modal verbs \u2192 wollte, konnte, musste:<\/strong> <em>Ich wollte anrufen, aber ich konnte nicht.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So a natural spoken past is a mix: <em>Gestern war ich m\u00fcde, also bin ich fr\u00fch ins Bett gegangen.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Word order in the Perfekt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Main clause:<\/strong> the helper is in position 2, the participle at the end. <em>Ich <\/em><em>habe<\/em><em> gestern lange <\/em><em>geschlafen<\/em><em>.<\/em><\/li><li><strong>Question:<\/strong> <em>Hast du gestern lange geschlafen?<\/em><\/li><li><strong>Subordinate clause:<\/strong> both go to the end, with the helper last: <em>&#8230;, weil ich gestern lange <\/em><em>geschlafen habe<\/em><em>.<\/em><\/li><li><strong>With a modal verb,<\/strong> the Perfekt is rare in speech. Use the Pr\u00e4teritum: <em>Ich musste arbeiten.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mistakes that cost points<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Wrong helper:<\/strong> <em>Ich habe nach Hause gegangen.<\/em> Correct: <em>Ich bin nach Hause gegangen.<\/em><\/li><li><strong>Regular ending on an irregular verb:<\/strong> <em>Ich habe gegesst.<\/em> Correct: <em>gegessen.<\/em><\/li><li><strong>Forgetting the participle at the end:<\/strong> <em>Ich habe gestern Pizza<\/em> (missing <em>gegessen<\/em>)<\/li><li><strong>Adding <em>ge-<\/em> to inseparable or <em>-ieren<\/em> verbs:<\/strong> <em>gebesucht, getelefoniert.<\/em> Correct: <em>besucht, telefoniert.<\/em><\/li><li><strong>Putting the participle in the wrong place in a <em>weil<\/em> clause.<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>These are the mistakes you make while speaking, not while writing.<\/strong> SipLingo catches them as you talk, explains them in your own language and gives you the correct sentence, so the right helper verb becomes automatic. <a href=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/download?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=german-perfekt-haben-sein&amp;utm_content=inline\">Try it free \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Practice: describe yesterday<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Say the following out loud, then replace the details with your own:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Gestern bin ich um sieben aufgestanden. Ich habe Kaffee getrunken und bin zur Arbeit gefahren. Um zw\u00f6lf habe ich mit Kollegen gegessen. Nach der Arbeit habe ich eingekauft und Deutsch gelernt. Dann bin ich fr\u00fch eingeschlafen.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s a mix of <em>sein<\/em> and <em>haben<\/em> verbs, three separable verbs and no Pr\u00e4teritum. If you can say it without stopping, you have the Perfekt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Related guides:<\/strong> <a href=\"\/blog\/german-cases-explained\/\">the 4 German cases explained<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"\/blog\/german-word-order-rules\/\">German word order rules<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Official sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the official details and the latest updates, see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/grammis.ids-mannheim.de\/fragen\/86\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IDS Mannheim (grammis): grammis: Perfekt with haben or sein?<\/a> \u2013 Which verbs take sein vs haben in the Perfekt<\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.duden.de\/sprachwissen\/fuer-lernende\/wortarten-verben\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Duden: Duden for learners: verbs (tense, mood, modal verbs)<\/a> \u2013 Verb person, tense, mood and voice; modal verbs and werden<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When do you use sein in the Perfekt?<\/strong><br>\nWith verbs of movement to a new place (<em>gehen, fahren<\/em>), verbs of change of state (<em>aufwachen, werden<\/em>) and <em>sein, bleiben, passieren<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Is the Perfekt used in spoken German?<\/strong><br>\nYes, for nearly all past events. The Pr\u00e4teritum is mostly written, except for <em>war, hatte<\/em> and the modals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How do you form the past participle?<\/strong><br>\nRegular verbs: <em>ge-<\/em> + stem + <em>-t<\/em> (<em>gemacht<\/em>). Irregular verbs: <em>ge-<\/em> + changed stem + <em>-en<\/em> (<em>gegessen<\/em>). No <em>ge-<\/em> with inseparable prefixes and <em>-ieren<\/em> verbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Does the participle change for separable verbs?<\/strong><br>\nYes, <em>-ge-<\/em> goes between the prefix and the verb: <em>aufgestanden, eingekauft<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Do I need the Perfekt for the B1 exam?<\/strong><br>\nYes. Speaking and writing tasks at A2 and B1 require the Perfekt, and mistakes with the helper verb are among the most frequent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Turn the rule into a reflex.<\/strong> SipLingo corrects your German as you speak, in your own language. A1 to B2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/download?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=german-perfekt-haben-sein&amp;utm_content=footer\">Start free \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Perfekt in 10 minutes: how to build it, when to choose haben or sein, how to form participles, and the 40 verbs you need for speaking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1073,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-german-grammar"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>German Perfekt: When to Use haben and When sein<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Perfekt in 10 minutes: how to build it, when to choose haben or sein, how to form participles, and the 40 verbs you 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