tun simple past (Präteritum) conjugation
Tun (to do) in the simple past (Präteritum): tat, tatst, tat, taten, tatet, taten.
Präteritum Simple past
| ich | regular: tute |
|---|---|
| du | regular: tutest |
| er/sie/es | regular: tute |
| wir | regular: tuten |
| ihr | regular: tutet |
| sie/Sie | regular: tuten |
ending regular · irr breaks the pattern · tap a form to hear it
When to use the simple past (Präteritum)
The Präteritum is the past tense of written narrative. In speech it is used mainly for sein, haben, werden and the modal verbs; other verbs usually take the Perfekt.
How it is formed
Weak verbs add te, test, te, ten, tet, ten to the stem (machte). Strong verbs change the stem vowel and take no ending in ich and er/sie/es (ging, sah, kam).
Tun is irregular here. 6 of 6 forms break the pattern (dark tiles above); the regular pattern would give tute, tutest, tute, tuten, tutet, tuten.
Read more: German past tense: Perfekt vs Präteritum
Tun in a sentence
- Ich tue mein Bestes.I am doing my best.
- Was hast du getan?What did you do?
Irregular verb; often used in fixed expressions like 'weh tun' (to hurt).
FAQ
What is the simple past (Präteritum) of tun?
Tun in the German simple past (Präteritum): ich tat, du tatst, er/sie/es tat, wir taten, ihr tatet, sie/Sie taten.
Is tun irregular in the simple past (Präteritum)?
Yes. 6 of 6 forms break the regular pattern: ich tat (regular would be tute); du tatst (regular would be tutest); er/sie/es tat (regular would be tute); wir taten (regular would be tuten); ihr tatet (regular would be tutet); sie/Sie taten (regular would be tuten).
When do you use the German simple past (Präteritum)?
The Präteritum is the past tense of written narrative. In speech it is used mainly for sein, haben, werden and the modal verbs; other verbs usually take the Perfekt.
How is the simple past (Präteritum) formed?
Weak verbs add te, test, te, ten, tet, ten to the stem (machte). Strong verbs change the stem vowel and take no ending in ich and er/sie/es (ging, sah, kam).
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