Forum Rocket German German Grammar How to write perfect past and simple past biography?

How to write perfect past and simple past biography?

kakarotoni

kakarotoni

May 28, 2010

Hello, I need to figure out how to write a biography introduction of myself in perfect past form and simple past form. My name is Jeremiah, I am from America. I am 26 years old. I enjoy doing martial arts and writing. I am studying graphic design. Thanks!
Byron-K21

Byron-K21

September 5, 2010

Not all your phrases are past tense. A simple past would be "Ich komme aus Amerika". A perfect past would be "Ich bin aus Amerika gekommnen." With perfect tense, the helper verb comes second and the past perfect form of the verb at the end. "Ich kaufte ein Auto" and "Ich habe ein Auto gekauft". I understand the simple past is preferred in writing while the perfect is more common in spoken German. But then, I'm just a student like yourself.
Byron-K21

Byron-K21

September 6, 2010

Actually, I realize I made a mistake in my example. Past tense, i.e. "I came from America" would be "Ich kam aus Amerika", but using present tense might be more appropriate in this situation.

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