German Past Tense Questions: Asking Others About Past Experiences
Learn to ask questions about past experiences in German using the Perfekt tense. Practice asking what someone did, where they went, and how it was.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In this lesson, you will learn how to ask other people about their past experiences in German. Unlike narrating your own past, asking questions requires specific word order and question words. We focus on the Perfekt tense, which is the standard spoken past in German. You will practice asking about activities, places, and opinions. By the end, you can ask friends or acquaintances what they did last weekend, where they went, and how it was. This skill is essential for everyday conversations.
By the end, you can…
- ask someone what they did last weekend using the Perfekt tense.
- ask where someone went and with whom.
- ask how an experience was using 'Wie war...?'
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Was hast du am Wochenende gemacht?
What did you do on the weekend?
vahs hast doo ahm VOH-khen-en-deh geh-MAKHT
Standard question to ask about weekend activities. Use with friends or acquaintances.
Wo bist du gewesen?
Where were you? / Where have you been?
voh bist doo geh-VAY-zen
Asks about a location in the past. Use with 'sein' as auxiliary for verbs of movement or states.
Mit wem warst du dort?
With whom were you there?
mit vaym varst doo dort
Asks about companionship. 'Warst' is the simple past of 'sein' for du.
Wie war es?
How was it?
vee vahr es
General question about an experience. Use after someone mentions an event or trip.
Hast du gut geschlafen?
Did you sleep well?
hast doo goot geh-SHLAH-fen
Asks about sleep quality. Common after someone stayed overnight somewhere.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To ask a yes/no question in the Perfekt tense, start with the auxiliary verb (haben or sein), then the subject, then the rest, with the past participle at the end. For example: 'Hast du das gemacht?' (Did you do that?) or 'Bist du gefahren?' (Did you drive?). For W-questions, start with the question word, then the auxiliary, then the subject, then the rest, with the participle at the end: 'Was hast du gemacht?' (What did you do?). Note that 'sein' is used with verbs of movement or change of state, like 'gehen' (to go), 'fahren' (to drive), 'bleiben' (to stay).
When to use it
Use these questions in informal conversations with friends, family, or acquaintances. The Perfekt tense is the standard past tense in spoken German, even for events that happened long ago. For example, 'Wo bist du gewesen?' is more common in speech than 'Wo warst du?', although both are correct. When asking about a specific past event, like a weekend or a trip, use the Perfekt. If you want to ask about a general past state, you can use the simple past of 'sein' (war, warst, war, waren, wart, waren) or 'haben' (hatte, hattest, hatte, hatten, hattet, hatten). For instance, 'Wie war das Wetter?' (How was the weather?) uses simple past because it describes a state, not an action.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Hallo! Was hast du am Wochenende gemacht?
Hello! What did you do on the weekend?hah-LOH! vahs hast doo ahm VOH-khen-en-deh geh-MAKHT?Ich bin nach Berlin gefahren. Es war toll!
I drove to Berlin. It was great!ikh bin nahkh ber-LEEN geh-FAH-ren. es vahr tol!Mit wem warst du dort?
With whom were you there?mit vaym varst doo dort?Mit meiner Schwester. Wir haben viel gesehen.
With my sister. We saw a lot.mit MY-ner SHVES-ter. veer HAH-ben feel geh-ZAY-en.A little context goes a long way
In German-speaking countries, asking about weekend activities is common among friends and colleagues on Monday. However, direct questions about personal experiences may be considered intrusive in more formal contexts. Use 'Sie' with strangers or in professional settings, and adjust the question accordingly: 'Was haben Sie am Wochenende gemacht?' Also, regional differences exist: in Austria and Switzerland, the Perfekt is also used in speech, but some verbs may prefer simple past in Swiss German. Always listen to how locals speak.
One thing to watch for
Using 'Hast du gegangen?' to ask 'Did you go?'
Try this instead: The verb 'gehen' uses 'sein' as its auxiliary in the Perfekt, so the correct form is 'Bist du gegangen?' Similarly, 'Ich bin gegangen' (I went). Remember that movement verbs take 'sein'.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask 'What did you do?' in German?
Show a sample answer
Was hast du gemacht?
This is the standard informal question. For formal, use 'Was haben Sie gemacht?'.
2Which auxiliary verb do you use with 'fahren' in the Perfekt?
Show a sample answer
sein
'Fahren' is a verb of movement, so it takes 'sein': 'Ich bin gefahren'. Note that 'fahren' can also be used transitively (e.g., 'Ich habe das Auto gefahren'), in which case it takes 'haben'.
3Translate: 'Where were you?' (informal)
Show a sample answer
Wo bist du gewesen?
This uses the Perfekt of 'sein'. Alternatively, 'Wo warst du?' is also correct and common, especially in southern Germany.
To ask about past experiences in German, use the Perfekt tense with the auxiliary verb first in yes/no questions, or after the question word in W-questions. Remember that movement verbs take 'sein'. Practice with common questions like 'Was hast du gemacht?' and 'Wo bist du gewesen?' to sound natural in conversations.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s German into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr