#the duolingo app doesn't teach past form ( indikativ präteritum)

25 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

fallow zodiac
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Interesting thing i have noticed. I have completed the whole Duolingo German course and also doing A2 course on dw.com but I am now starting to see that I really haven't learned past for example
sit - sat

sitzen - saßen

I have always used Indikativ Perfekt in these situations for example I would say Ich habe bei der Tisch gesessen which should be a correct sentence in the past.

Is the indikativ präteritum for something else then?

trim whale
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Präteritum is not used in everyday speech as far as I know, but it's found mostly in writing.

round nebula
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Is duolingo course Worth the time or?

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Or for example dw is better?

rose tree
tidal talonBOT
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Duolingo

Duolingo is a decent resource to start with if you're a complete beginner, but it's neither efficient nor comprehensive!

What Duolingo will teach you about grammar is very limited, and none of the systems they use will help you practise much of it.
You can learn some vocabulary with it, but their method (based on the concept of spaced repetition) doesn't work for everybody, and the way Duolingo teaches is not very effective compared to the amount of time it requires from you.

So, if you find it useful, by all means keep using it, but remember not to fall for its gamification of language learning, and move past it when it stops being beneficial. Ignore the streaks.

In any case, keep in mind that Duolingo is not enough to learn a language, ever.

If you're looking for guidance or alternatives, check out >faq beginner in our #botchannel .

rose tree
strange stag
rigid ermine
# fallow zodiac Interesting thing i have noticed. I have completed the whole Duolingo German cou...

The Duolingo app primarily focuses on teaching the Indikativ Perfekt (present perfect) tense, which is commonly used in spoken German to describe past actions. The Indikativ Präteritum (simple past) tense, on the other hand, is more commonly used in written German or in formal contexts. It's good to be aware of both forms as they have slightly different uses. So, while "Ich habe bei der Tisch gesessen" is grammatically correct in the Indikativ Perfekt, the correct form in the Indikativ Präteritum would be "Ich saß am Tisch". Keep up the great work with your German learning! 🚀💪

errant lantern
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"bei der Tisch" is not grammatically correct 😅

spring saddle
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Actually, there are certain words that are quite often used in the Präteritum in everyday speech. I’ve once made a list of them, and I don’t think I forgot too many:

• sein – war
• haben – hatte
• werden – wurde
• dürfen – durfte
• können – konnte
• müssen – musste
• sollen – sollte
• wollen – wollte
• wissen – wusste
• stehen – stand
• sitzen – saß
• liegen – lag
• geben (es gibt …) – gab
• gehen (unpersönlich) – ging
• sagen – sagte
• meinen – meinte
• finden (etw. für etw. halten) – fand
• denken – dachte
• heißen – hieß
• kennen – kannte
• aussehen – sah aus
• klingen – klang

As you can see, I listed the auxiliary verbs, the modal verbs (with the exception of „mögen“) and some more verbs. They are really within limits.

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That’s not correct. There are certain nuances to both, at least in writing. The Perfekt is used to express that something has an effect on the present. When there is such an effect, you cannot but use the Perfekt. The Präteritum, on the other hand, is oftentimes used to express that something had been completed in the past without a direct effect on the present.

rose tree
spring saddle
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I wouldn’t say so, at least “Die Spülmaschine ist kaputtgegangen” has a different touch than “Die Spülmaschine ging kaputt.”

rose tree
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Keep in mind as well that here you're answering the question of a beginner who's just learning the tenses for the first time. They don't really need this historical linguistics details and it's more likely just going to add confusion than be helpful in any way.

spring saddle
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Hm.

rose tree
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For the purposes of pretty much all learners aside from people with particular linguistics fascination (like someone studying German linguistics at uni), the tenses have no difference in meaning.

spring saddle
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If you say so…

rigid ermine
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Wait, you're right. I apologise for the mistake.

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So, it's either "Bei dem Tisch" or "Bei dem Tische", depending on the context and case used.

errant lantern
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Am* Tisch is the best one here

spring saddle
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Yes. The dative-e is so dated that grammar books don’t even mention it any more.

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However, it still appears in accepted expressions as “nach Hause”, “zu Pferde”, “zugrunde richten”, “zutage fördern” and many more.

fallow zodiac
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Thanks for all who have contributed! I will look into learning Präriterium tense