Every sentence in German uses either haben or sein. They appear in every Goethe section — as main verbs, in the perfect tense, and in fixed expressions. Getting them wrong is the single most common grammar mistake in A1 exams.
Why this module comes before everything else: You cannot form the past tense without haben or sein. You cannot describe states without sein. You cannot talk about possession without haben. These two verbs are not vocabulary — they are the engine of German grammar.
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Lesson 1 — haben: to have
Full conjugation with every pronoun. What haben means and when to use it.
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Lesson 2 — sein: to be
Full conjugation. The irregular forms that trip everyone up.
LESSON 2
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Lesson 3 — haben vs sein: the choice
When to use which. The rule that makes it logical.
LESSON 3
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Lesson 4 — Perfect Tense with haben
Ich habe gegessen. The past tense most used in A1 speaking.
LESSON 4
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Lesson 5 — Perfect Tense with sein
Ich bin gegangen. Movement and change of state.
LESSON 5
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Lesson 6 — Fixed Expressions
Hunger haben, Recht haben, müde sein — the phrases Goethe tests.
LESSON 6
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Module 3 · Lesson 1 of 6
haben — to have
haben means "to have." It expresses possession, relationships, and states. In German, haben is irregular — the conjugation does not follow normal verb patterns and must be memorised. Every form is used constantly in the Goethe exam.
Full Conjugation — tap a row to hear it
HABEN — TO HAVE
ich
habe
I have
du
hast
you have (informal)
er/sie/es
hat
he/she/it has
wir
haben
we have
ihr
habt
you all have (informal)
sie/Sie
haben
they/you have (formal)
The key irregulars: ich habe (not haben) · du hast · er/sie/es hat · ihr habt. The ich form and wir/sie/Sie forms match the infinitive stem, but the middle forms are short and sharp. Drill these until they are automatic.
haben in real sentences — tap to hear
HABEN
Ich habe einen Bruder und zwei Schwestern.
I have a brother and two sisters.
Possession of family members. "einen Bruder" — Akkusativ masculine (Module 5 will cover this fully).
HABEN
Sie hat einen Termin um drei Uhr.
She has an appointment at three o'clock.
er/sie/es hat — the third person singular. This form appears constantly in Goethe Hören contexts about appointments.
HABEN
Wir haben heute keine Zeit.
We have no time today.
"keine Zeit haben" = to have no time. "keine" negates a noun — no article then keine. Very common expression.
HABEN
Hast du ein Handy?
Do you have a mobile phone?
Question form — verb first. du hast → Hast du? The verb moves to position 1 in yes/no questions.
Module 3 · Lesson 1 · Quiz
haben Quiz
Module 3 · Lesson 2 of 6
sein — to be
sein means "to be." It is the most important verb in German and the most irregular. The forms look completely different from the infinitive — just like English "I am, you are, he is" look nothing like "to be." These forms must be memorised individually.
Full Conjugation — tap a row to hear it
SEIN — TO BE
ich
bin
I am
du
bist
you are (informal)
er/sie/es
ist
he/she/it is
wir
sind
we are
ihr
seid
you all are (informal)
sie/Sie
sind
they/you are (formal)
The forms that trip everyone:
❌ "Ich ist" — WRONG · ✓ Ich bin
❌ "Er bin" — WRONG · ✓ Er ist
❌ "Wir ist" — WRONG · ✓ Wir sind
None of sein's forms look like each other. bin · bist · ist · sind · seid · sind — each one is its own word.
sein in real sentences — tap to hear
SEIN
Ich bin Lehrerin von Beruf.
I am a teacher by profession.
Profession always uses sein — Ich bin [job]. No article — "eine Lehrerin" would be wrong here.
SEIN
Er ist fünfunddreißig Jahre alt.
He is thirty-five years old.
Age always uses sein — [subject] ist [number] Jahre alt. One of the most tested structures in Goethe A1.
SEIN
Wir sind aus Kenya.
We are from Kenya.
Origin can use both "sein aus" and "kommen aus." Both are correct. "Wir sind aus Kenya" sounds more like a state; "Wir kommen aus Kenya" sounds more like movement.
SEIN
Sind Sie verheiratet?
Are you married? (formal)
Question form — verb first. Sie sind → Sind Sie? The formal question the Goethe examiner might ask about your family situation.
Module 3 · Lesson 2 · Quiz
sein Quiz
Module 3 · Lesson 3 of 6
haben vs sein — when to use which
This is where most learners get confused. Both verbs are used constantly, but they cover very different things. Once you understand the logic, the choice becomes clear.
HABEN — USE FOR:
🧳 Possession — things you own or hold Ich habe ein Auto.
👨👩👧 Relationships — family you have Ich habe drei Kinder.
📅 Appointments — things scheduled Ich habe einen Termin.
😰 Physical states — hunger, thirst, time Ich habe Hunger.
SEIN — USE FOR:
🧑💼 Identity — profession, nationality Ich bin Arzt.
📍 Location — where you are Ich bin in Berlin.
😊 Qualities — adjectives describing you Ich bin müde.
🔢 Age — how old you are Ich bin dreißig Jahre alt.
The key distinction: haben is about what you have or hold. sein is about what you are or where you are. In English these sometimes overlap — "I am hungry" vs German "Ich habe Hunger" (I have hunger). German externalises physical states as things you possess. This is where learners often reach for sein when haben is correct.
Side-by-side — same topic, different verb
HABEN
Ich habe Hunger.
I am hungry. (literally: I have hunger)
German treats hunger as something you possess — NOT a state you are in. "Ich bin Hunger" is completely wrong.
SEIN
Ich bin müde.
I am tired.
Tiredness IS a state you are in — it is an adjective describing you. sein + adjective = correct.
HABEN
Er hat keine Zeit.
He has no time.
Time is treated as something you have or do not have — possession. "Er ist keine Zeit" is wrong.
SEIN
Sie ist sehr freundlich.
She is very friendly.
Personality quality described with an adjective — always sein. "freundlich" (friendly) describes what she is, not what she has.
Module 3 · Lesson 3 · Quiz
haben or sein?
Module 3 · Lesson 4 of 6
The Perfect Tense with haben
In spoken German, the past is expressed using the Perfect tense — not the simple past. The Goethe A1 Sprechen section tests this. The perfect tense has two parts: a conjugated form of haben or sein, plus a past participle at the end of the sentence.
The formula:
[subject] + haben (conjugated) + [rest of sentence] + Partizip II
Ich habe gestern Pizza gegessen. I ate pizza yesterday. (literally: I have yesterday pizza eaten)
How to form the Partizip II
Type
Formula
Example
Partizip II
Regular verbs
ge- + stem + -t
kaufen
gekauft
Regular verbs
ge- + stem + -t
machen
gemacht
Regular verbs
ge- + stem + -t
spielen
gespielt
Irregular — must learn
ge- + [changed] + -en
essen
gegessen
Irregular — must learn
ge- + [changed] + -en
trinken
getrunken
Irregular — must learn
ge- + [changed] + -en
schreiben
geschrieben
Word order rule — Partizip II always goes last:
✓ Ich habe gestern einen Brief geschrieben.
❌ Ich habe geschrieben gestern einen Brief.
The past participle waits at the very end of the sentence. Everything else — time, place, object — goes between haben and the participle.
Perfect with haben — real examples
HABEN
Ich habe heute Morgen Kaffee getrunken.
I drank coffee this morning.
trinken → getrunken (irregular). haben + getrunken. "heute Morgen" sits between haben and the participle.
HABEN
Sie hat die Prüfung gemacht.
She did/took the exam.
machen → gemacht (regular: ge+mach+t). "die Prüfung" (the exam) sits between hat and gemacht.
HABEN
Wir haben einen Film gesehen.
We watched a film.
sehen → gesehen (irregular). "einen Film" between haben and gesehen.
Module 3 · Lesson 4 · Quiz
Perfect with haben Quiz
Module 3 · Lesson 5 of 6
The Perfect Tense with sein
Most verbs form the perfect with haben. But a specific group uses sein instead. These are verbs of movement from A to B and verbs that describe a change of state. Once you know the rule, you can apply it to new verbs you learn.
The formula with sein:
[subject] + sein (conjugated) + [rest] + Partizip II
Ich bin nach Hause gegangen. I went home. (literally: I am home gone)
The two rules for sein in the perfect
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Rule 1 — Movement from A to B
Verbs that express real physical movement from one place to another use sein. The key test: did the person actually travel or move to a different location?
fahren (to drive/travel) = movement A to B → sein. "gestern" between bin and gefahren at the end.
SEIN
Sie ist um sieben Uhr aufgewacht.
She woke up at seven o'clock.
aufwachen (to wake up) = change of state (asleep → awake) → sein. Common in Goethe Hören daily routine contexts.
SEIN
Wir sind letztes Jahr nach Deutschland gereist.
We travelled to Germany last year.
reisen (to travel) = movement → sein. "letztes Jahr" (last year) between sind and gereist.
Memory trick for A to B verbs: Ask yourself — "Did they go somewhere?" If yes, use sein. If the verb describes an action done in one place (eating, sleeping, working, reading) — use haben. Movement changes your location. Everything else stays put.
Module 3 · Lesson 5 · Quiz
Perfect with sein Quiz
Module 3 · Lesson 6 of 6
Fixed expressions — what Goethe actually tests
The Goethe exam does not test grammar in isolation. It tests grammar inside real sentences. These fixed expressions using haben and sein appear repeatedly across all four Goethe sections. Knowing them cold means free marks.
haben expressions — tap to hear
HABEN
Ich habe Hunger / Durst.
I am hungry / thirsty.
Physical needs in German = haben + noun. Never "Ich bin Hunger." Hunger and Durst are nouns — things you possess.
HABEN
Sie hat Recht / Unrecht.
She is right / wrong.
"Recht haben" = to be right. "Unrecht haben" = to be wrong. Fixed expressions — the verb is always haben. "Sie ist Recht" is incorrect.
HABEN
Ich habe Angst vor dem Examen.
I am afraid of the exam.
"Angst haben" = to be afraid/scared. "vor" + Dativ follows. Another physical/emotional state treated as possession in German.
HABEN
Wir haben morgen frei.
We have the day off tomorrow.
"frei haben" = to have a day off/be free. Very common in workplace and scheduling contexts in Goethe Lesen and Hören.
sein expressions — tap to hear
SEIN
Ich bin müde / krank / gesund.
I am tired / sick / healthy.
All adjectives describing your physical or mental state use sein. These appear in every Goethe section — doctor visits, daily life, introductions.
SEIN
Der Kurs ist von neun bis zwölf Uhr.
The course is from nine to twelve o'clock.
Describing when something takes place — it IS from this time to that time. sein for existence and scheduling descriptions.
SEIN
Das ist kein Problem.
That is not a problem.
One of the most useful social phrases. "kein" negates a noun. "Das ist kein Problem" = No problem / That's fine. Use this in the exam when you want to sound relaxed and natural.
SEIN
Es ist mir wichtig, Deutsch zu lernen.
It is important to me to learn German.
"Es ist mir wichtig" = it is important to me. "mir" = Dativ of ich. This construction shows sophisticated grammar — use it in Sprechen for bonus marks.