Tragen Perfekt Tense Conjugation in German
The Perfekt of tragen — “to carry” — 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 getragen, so once you know the participle you can build every person. This page gives you the complete Perfekt table for tragen, 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 einen schweren Koffer getragen.” — “I have carried a heavy suitcase.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for tragen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Perfekt Tense conjugation of tragen
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for tragen. The Perfekt is a compound tense: haben in the present + the past participle getragen. The participle never changes in the table below — the tables give the single uninflected participle form, and the auxiliary carries the person.
Perfect (Perfekt) — tragen
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe getragen |
| du | hast getragen |
| er/sie/es | hat getragen |
| wir | haben getragen |
| ihr | habt getragen |
| sie/Sie | haben getragen |
The present participle of tragen is tragend and the past participle is getragen. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.
How the Perfekt of tragen is formed
Take the present tense of the auxiliary haben and add the past participle getragen: ich → habe getragen, du → hast getragen, er/sie/es → hat getragen, wir → haben getragen, ihr → habt getragen, sie/Sie → haben getragen. So tragen gives habe getragen, hast getragen, hat getragen, haben getragen, habt getragen, haben getragen. tragen takes haben, the default auxiliary. The past participle stays invariable in the Perfekt: it does not agree with the subject, so getragen is the same for every person. A note on the participle: getragen is the only past participle for tragen 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 tragen
1. A finished event in the past
Use the Perfekt for a finished event in the past. For example, with tragen: “Ich habe einen schweren Koffer getragen.” — “I have carried a heavy suitcase.” 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 tragen: “Du hast einen schweren Koffer getragen.” — “You have carried a heavy suitcase.” 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 tragen: “Er hat einen schweren Koffer getragen.” — “He has carried a heavy suitcase.” 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 tragen: “Wir haben einen schweren Koffer getragen.” — “We have carried a heavy suitcase.” 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 tragen: “Ihr habt einen schweren Koffer getragen.” — “You have carried a heavy suitcase.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Perfekt vs Präteritum: tragen 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 einen schweren Koffer getragen.” — “I have carried a heavy suitcase.”
Präteritum (written): “Ich trug einen schweren Koffer.” — “I carried a heavy suitcase.”
Perfekt (spoken): “Du hast einen schweren Koffer getragen.” — “You have carried a heavy suitcase.”
Präteritum (written): “Du trugst einen schweren Koffer.” — “You carried a heavy suitcase.”
Perfekt (spoken): “Wir haben einen schweren Koffer getragen.” — “We have carried a heavy suitcase.”
Präteritum (written): “Wir trugen einen schweren Koffer.” — “We carried a heavy suitcase.”
Example sentences: tragen in the Perfekt
Six sentences using only the Perfekt of tragen, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Ich habe einen schweren Koffer getragen.” — “I have carried a heavy suitcase.”
- “Du hast einen schweren Koffer getragen.” — “You have carried a heavy suitcase.”
- “Er hat einen schweren Koffer getragen.” — “He has carried a heavy suitcase.”
- “Wir haben einen schweren Koffer getragen.” — “We have carried a heavy suitcase.”
- “Ihr habt einen schweren Koffer getragen.” — “You have carried a heavy suitcase.”
- “Sie haben einen schweren Koffer getragen.” — “They have carried a heavy suitcase.”
Common mistakes with tragen in the Perfekt
1. Using the wrong auxiliary
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin einen schweren Koffer getragen.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen schweren Koffer getragen.”
With tragen the Perfekt takes haben, not sein. The correct form is habe getragen.
2. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Ich trage einen schweren Koffer.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen schweren Koffer getragen.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the Perfekt (habe getragen), not the present.
3. Using the Präteritum for a single finished event in speech
✗ Wrong: “Ich trug einen schweren Koffer.” (in conversation)
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen schweren Koffer getragen.”
In spoken German a single finished event yesterday takes the Perfekt. The Präteritum belongs in written narration.
4. Guessing a regular participle
✗ Wrong: “Ich habe einen schweren Koffer getragt.” (a guessed regular participle)
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen schweren Koffer getragen.”
tragen is a strong verb: its participle is getragen, not the regular ge- + stem + -t form.
Quiz: tragen in the Perfekt
What is the ich form of tragen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe getragen
- B) hast getragen
- C) habt getragen
- D) hat getragen
What is the du form of tragen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habt getragen
- B) haben getragen
- C) hat getragen
- D) hast getragen
What is the er/sie/es form of tragen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habt getragen
- B) haben getragen
- C) hat getragen
- D) habe getragen
What is the wir form of tragen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe getragen
- B) hat getragen
- C) haben getragen
- D) hast getragen
What is the ihr form of tragen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hast getragen
- B) habt getragen
- C) habe getragen
- D) hat getragen
What is the sie/Sie form of tragen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hat getragen
- B) habt getragen
- C) haben getragen
- D) hast getragen
What is the past participle of tragen?
- A) trage
- B) trug
- C) tragend
- D) getragen
Which auxiliary does tragen take in the Perfekt?
- A) haben
- B) sein
- C) werden
Answer key
- A) habe getragen — the ich form of tragen in the Perfekt is habe getragen.
- D) hast getragen — the du form of tragen in the Perfekt is hast getragen.
- C) hat getragen — the er/sie/es form of tragen in the Perfekt is hat getragen.
- C) haben getragen — the wir form of tragen in the Perfekt is haben getragen.
- B) habt getragen — the ihr form of tragen in the Perfekt is habt getragen.
- C) haben getragen — the sie/Sie form of tragen in the Perfekt is haben getragen.
- D) getragen — the past participle of tragen is getragen; the Perfekt uses haben + getragen.
- A) haben — tragen takes haben in the Perfekt: habe getragen.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Perfekt of tragen formed?
With haben in the present + the past participle getragen: ich → habe getragen, du → hast getragen, er/sie/es → hat getragen. The full table is above, and the German Perfekt tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.
Is tragen regular in the Perfekt?
Yes — tragen 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 tragen?
The past participle is getragen. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe getragen, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte getragen.
Related pages
- tragen conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
- tragen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- Einladen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Treffen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise tragen with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise tragen with the interactive tool.
- Perfect Tenses Builder — practise the perfect tenses with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.