German A2.18 Listening Practice: Report A Finished Regular Action
Listen to a A2 German dialogue about report a finished regular action, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
A2.18
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
23 segments
A short German listening chapter with transcript.
Open a sentence with haben, hold the middle, and close it with one regular participle.
Read while you listen.
1. Hanna · Teacher
Welcome to ChickyTutor! I'm Hanna, your teacher. Today we are looking at how to report a finished regular action in German using the verb haben and a past participle at the end of the sentence.
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2. Lukas · Student
Hi everyone, I'm Lukas! So we'll learn how to talk about things we finished, like studying or doing tasks?
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3. Hanna · Teacher
Exactly, Lukas. Let's listen to a short conversation between Felix and Clara. Listen for forms like gelernt and gemacht.
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4. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Hallo Clara, hast du heute schon Deutsch gelernt?
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5. Clara · Native Speaker 2
Ja, ich habe heute Morgen viel gelernt.
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6. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Das ist toll! Und hast du auch die Hausaufgaben gemacht?
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7. Clara · Native Speaker 2
Ja, ich habe das schon gemacht.
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8. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Perfekt, ich habe meine Aufgaben auch gemacht!
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9. Hanna · Teacher
Let's break down what Felix and Clara said. First, Felix asked: 'Hast du heute schon Deutsch gelernt?' This means 'Have you already learned German today?' He put the helper verb 'hast' in first position for a question and 'gelernt' at the very end.
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10. Lukas · Student
Why does 'gelernt' go to the very end of the sentence?
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11. Hanna · Teacher
In German completed action sentences, the helper verb takes second position—or first in a yes-no question—while the participle creates a bracket by staying at the end.
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12. Hanna · Teacher
Next, Clara replied: 'Ja, ich habe heute Morgen viel gelernt.' Meaning 'Yes, I learned a lot this morning.' Here, 'lernen' becomes 'gelernt'.
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13. Lukas · Student
How do we form 'gelernt' from 'lernen'?
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14. Hanna · Teacher
For regular weak verbs, you add 'ge-' to the beginning and replace the ending with '-t'. So 'lernen' becomes 'ge-lern-t'.
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15. Hanna · Teacher
Then Felix asked: 'Das ist toll! Und hast du auch die Hausaufgaben gemacht?' This means 'That's great! And did you do the homework too?'
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16. Lukas · Student
Does 'machen' follow the exact same rule as 'lernen'?
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17. Hanna · Teacher
Yes, 'machen' is also a regular weak verb, so it becomes 'gemacht' with 'ge-' at the front and '-t' at the end.
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18. Hanna · Teacher
Clara then said: 'Ja, ich habe das schon gemacht.' This translates to 'Yes, I have already done that.' Here, 'das' is the direct accusative object.
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19. Lukas · Student
Where does the object 'das' sit in this sentence structure?
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20. Hanna · Teacher
The object 'das' comes right inside the bracket, between 'habe' and the participle 'gemacht' at the end.
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21. Hanna · Teacher
Finally, Felix said: 'Perfekt, ich habe meine Aufgaben auch gemacht!' Meaning 'Perfect, I did my tasks too!'
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22. Lukas · Student
So whenever I report a completed regular action, I use 'haben' in second position and 'ge...t' at the end?
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23. Hanna · Teacher
That's exactly right, Lukas! Keep practicing this bounded pattern and you'll speak naturally in no time.
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