Frequently Asked German Questions

'Haben' or 'Sein' with the Verb 'Schreiben' in German Past Tense?

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For example, the sentence "Er hat einen Brief geschrieben."

For the verb 'schreiben' (to write), 'haben' is the correct auxiliary verb in the past tense, not 'sein'. So the correct sentence is 'Er hat einen Brief geschrieben' which means 'He has written a letter'. When you use 'schreiben', it is about an action that has been done, in this case, writing a letter, thus 'haben' is used. Understanding this distinction is crucial in conveying the intended action in the German language.

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