In German, the present perfect (Perfekt) is used to express actions that happened in the past. The structure of the Perfekt is: sein/haben + Partizip II. Whether the auxiliary verb (Hilfsverb) sein or haben is used also depends on the main verb in the Partizip II. Today's article will help you distinguish which verbs go with sein and which verbs go with haben in the Perfekt.

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1. In the present perfect (Perfekt), most verbs use the auxiliary haben. 

Wir haben eine neue Wohnung gesucht.

(We looked for a new apartment.)

Vor 2 Jahren hat er Frankfurt besucht.

(Two years ago he visited Frankfurt.)

2. The verbs that use sein are verbs that: 

• Denote movement (fahren, gehen, fallen, fliegen, umziehen, kommen, reisen,...) 

Im 2020 sind Max und Anna zweimal gereist.

(In 2020 Max and Anna traveled twice.)

• Denote a change of state (aufwachsen, einschlafen, sterben, zerfallen…)

Gestern bin ich um 21 Uhr eingeschlafen, weil ich so müde war.

(Yesterday I went to sleep at 9 p.m., because I was too tired.)

• Some special verbs (passieren, bleiben, gelingen, misslingen, geschehen…)

Wir möchten wissen, was passiert ist?

(We want to know what happened.)

3. Note: Normally the verbs sein, werden, haben and the Modalverben are conjugated in the simple past (Präteritum) instead of the present perfect (Perfekt)

Letzte Woche waren sie krank.

(Last week they were ill.)

Frau Mary musste einen wichtigen Bericht schreiben.

(Ms. Mary had to write an important report.)

4. Some verbs can be used with both sein and haben in the Perfekt

Examples: reiten, rudern, schwimmen, segeln, springen, surfen, tanzen, tauchen, abbrechen, anfallen, aufziehen, bekommen, heilen, dringen, rollen, schwingen,...

- When expressing movement or a change of state, functioning as intransitive verbs, these verbs take the auxiliary sein. 

Wir sind durch das Zimmer getanzt.

(We danced all around the room.)

→ The activity of dancing (tanzen) around the room in this case expresses movement and traveling, so we use the auxiliary sein.

- When they do not express movement and function as transitive verbs (with an object in the Akkusativ), they take the auxiliary haben. 

Wir haben Tango getanzt.

(We danced the tango.)