A2-22 · Tell a short travel story in the past
Travel mishaps
Recognize and use kam, ging and sah, with plural forms, to describe a delay and a missing suitcase.
About 5 minutes to read · 13 quiz questions
01
The train came late
In a short written travel story, the Präteritum places events in the past. Kommen becomes kam with ich and er/sie. Use kamen with wir and plural sie. The present forms kommt and kommen describe the present instead.
Gestern kam der Zug zu spät.
Yesterday the train came too late.
Ich kam erst um zehn Uhr an.
I did not arrive until ten o'clock.
Wir kamen spät am Hotel an.
We arrived at the hotel late.
Die Gäste kamen aus Berlin.
The guests came from Berlin.
Die Verspätung is a delay. Zu spät means too late. These examples tell a fictional journey from yesterday; everyday conversation often uses the Perfekt instead.
02
I went to the counter
Gehen becomes ging in the singular and gingen with wir or plural sie. After arriving, Mara went to the information counter. Der Schalter means counter and das Fundbüro means lost property office.
Mara ging zum Schalter.
Mara went to the counter.
Ich ging ins Fundbüro.
I went to the lost property office.
Wir gingen zum Ausgang.
We went to the exit.
Die Reisenden gingen zum Bus.
The travellers went to the bus.
Use ging with ich and sie when sie means one woman. Use gingen with sie when it means several people. The subject tells you which form to choose.
03
Then she saw the suitcase
Sehen becomes sah with ich and er/sie, and sahen with wir and plural sie. Mara first saw a sign, then her suitcase. Der Koffer is the suitcase; das Gepäck means luggage.
Zuerst sah Mara ein Schild.
First Mara saw a sign.
Dann sah ich meinen Koffer.
Then I saw my suitcase.
Wir sahen das Gepäck am Schalter.
We saw the luggage at the counter.
Die Reisenden sahen den Mitarbeiter.
The travellers saw the employee.
Keep the verb second when a time word comes first: Dann sah Mara den Koffer. The order of events can be shown with zuerst, dann and danach.
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