Anrufen Perfekt Tense Conjugation in German

The Perfekt of anrufen — “to phone” — is the tense you need for finished actions in the past: what you did yesterday, what happened last week, what has just finished. It is formed with haben in the present + the past participle angerufen, so once you know the participle you can build every person. This page gives you the complete Perfekt table for anrufen, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the Präteritum, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ich habe meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.” — “I have called my friend in the evening.”

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for anrufen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Perfekt Tense conjugation of anrufen

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for anrufen. The Perfekt is a compound tense: haben in the present + the past participle angerufen. The participle never changes in the table below — the tables give the single uninflected participle form, and the auxiliary carries the person.

Perfect (Perfekt) — anrufen

Person Form
ich habe angerufen
du hast angerufen
er/sie/es hat angerufen
wir haben angerufen
ihr habt angerufen
sie/Sie haben angerufen

The present participle of anrufen is anrufend and the past participle is angerufen. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.

How the Perfekt of anrufen is formed

Take the present tense of the auxiliary haben and add the past participle angerufen: ich → habe angerufen, du → hast angerufen, er/sie/es → hat angerufen, wir → haben angerufen, ihr → habt angerufen, sie/Sie → haben angerufen. So anrufen gives habe angerufen, hast angerufen, hat angerufen, haben angerufen, habt angerufen, haben angerufen. anrufen takes haben, the default auxiliary. The past participle stays invariable in the Perfekt: it does not agree with the subject, so angerufen is the same for every person. Because anrufen is separable, the participle takes ge- between the prefix and the stem: an + ge- + stem gives angerufen. In the Perfekt the prefix stays attached to the participle — it only splits off in the simple finite forms, as in rufe an. A note on the participle: angerufen is the only past participle for anrufen in the verified tables. Do not invent a second participle, and do not borrow the participle of a similar verb.

When to use the Perfekt of anrufen

1. A finished event in the past

Use the Perfekt for a finished event in the past. For example, with anrufen: “Ich habe meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.” — “I have called my friend in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. Something that has just happened

Use the Perfekt for something that has just happened. For example, with anrufen: “Du hast meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.” — “You have called my friend in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. A sequence of past events

Use the Perfekt for a sequence of past events. For example, with anrufen: “Er hat meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.” — “He has called my friend in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Life experience up to now

Use the Perfekt for life experience up to now. For example, with anrufen: “Wir haben meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.” — “We have called my friend in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

5. A past event with a definite time

Use the Perfekt for a past event with a definite time. For example, with anrufen: “Ihr habt meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.” — “You have called my friend in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Perfekt vs Präteritum: anrufen in speech and in writing

The Perfekt and the Präteritum both talk about the past, but they are not interchangeable in register. The Perfekt is the tense of spoken German: what you say in conversation. The Präteritum is the tense of written narration: stories, reports and formal writing. Compare the pairs below — the Perfekt form comes from this page, the Präteritum form from the full conjugation table.

  • Perfekt (spoken): “Ich habe meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.” — “I have called my friend in the evening.”

  • Präteritum (written): “Ich rief meinen Freund am Abend an.” — “I called my friend in the evening.”

  • Perfekt (spoken): “Du hast meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.” — “You have called my friend in the evening.”

  • Präteritum (written): “Du riefst meinen Freund am Abend an.” — “You called my friend in the evening.”

  • Perfekt (spoken): “Wir haben meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.” — “We have called my friend in the evening.”

  • Präteritum (written): “Wir riefen meinen Freund am Abend an.” — “We called my friend in the evening.”

Example sentences: anrufen in the Perfekt

Six sentences using only the Perfekt of anrufen, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Ich habe meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.” — “I have called my friend in the evening.”
  • “Du hast meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.” — “You have called my friend in the evening.”
  • “Er hat meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.” — “He has called my friend in the evening.”
  • “Wir haben meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.” — “We have called my friend in the evening.”
  • “Ihr habt meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.” — “You have called my friend in the evening.”
  • “Sie haben meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.” — “They have called my friend in the evening.”

Common mistakes with anrufen in the Perfekt

1. Using the wrong auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Ich bin meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.”

With anrufen the Perfekt takes haben, not sein. The correct form is habe angerufen.

2. Using the present for a finished past event

✗ Wrong: “Ich rufe meinen Freund am Abend an.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.”

Yesterday’s finished event needs the Perfekt (habe angerufen), not the present.

3. Using the Präteritum for a single finished event in speech

✗ Wrong: “Ich rief meinen Freund am Abend an.” (in conversation)

✓ Right: “Ich habe meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.”

In spoken German a single finished event yesterday takes the Perfekt. The Präteritum belongs in written narration.

4. Putting ge- in the wrong place in the participle

✗ Wrong: “Ich habe geanrufen meinen Freund am Abend.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe meinen Freund am Abend angerufen.”

With a separable verb the ge- goes between the prefix and the stem: angerufen, not geanrufen.

Quiz: anrufen in the Perfekt

  1. What is the ich form of anrufen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) hat angerufen
    • B) habt angerufen
    • C) habe angerufen
    • D) haben angerufen

  2. What is the du form of anrufen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) habe angerufen
    • B) hast angerufen
    • C) hat angerufen
    • D) haben angerufen

  3. What is the er/sie/es form of anrufen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) habe angerufen
    • B) hast angerufen
    • C) hat angerufen
    • D) habt angerufen

  4. What is the wir form of anrufen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) haben angerufen
    • B) hast angerufen
    • C) habe angerufen
    • D) habt angerufen

  5. What is the ihr form of anrufen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) habt angerufen
    • B) habe angerufen
    • C) hast angerufen
    • D) haben angerufen

  6. What is the sie/Sie form of anrufen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) hast angerufen
    • B) hat angerufen
    • C) haben angerufen
    • D) habt angerufen

  7. What is the past participle of anrufen?

    • A) anrufend
    • B) rief an
    • C) rufe an
    • D) angerufen

  8. Which auxiliary does anrufen take in the Perfekt?

    • A) sein
    • B) werden
    • C) haben

Answer key

  1. C) habe angerufen — the ich form of anrufen in the Perfekt is habe angerufen.
  2. B) hast angerufen — the du form of anrufen in the Perfekt is hast angerufen.
  3. C) hat angerufen — the er/sie/es form of anrufen in the Perfekt is hat angerufen.
  4. A) haben angerufen — the wir form of anrufen in the Perfekt is haben angerufen.
  5. A) habt angerufen — the ihr form of anrufen in the Perfekt is habt angerufen.
  6. C) haben angerufen — the sie/Sie form of anrufen in the Perfekt is haben angerufen.
  7. D) angerufen — the past participle of anrufen is angerufen; the Perfekt uses haben + angerufen.
  8. C) haben — anrufen takes haben in the Perfekt: habe angerufen.

Frequently asked questions

How is the Perfekt of anrufen formed?

With haben in the present + the past participle angerufen: ich → habe angerufen, du → hast angerufen, er/sie/es → hat angerufen. The full table is above, and the German Perfekt tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.

Is anrufen regular in the Perfekt?

Yes — anrufen is regular in the Perfekt: the forms follow the standard pattern. The full picture, including the irregular tenses if any, is on the full conjugation page.

What is the past participle of anrufen?

The past participle is angerufen. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe angerufen, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte angerufen.

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