Usage with haben
Sometimes, the verbs fahrenandfliegenform their present perfect with
habenwhen the focus is on the driver or pilot. However, this usage is
quite rare:Erhatdas Auto selbst gefahren.
He drove the car himself.Siehatden Hubschrauber geflogen.
She flew the helicopter (herself ).Other points to watch out for
Some past participles don’t start withge-
Note that some of the following verbs form their past participles without
addingge-:- Verbs ending in -ieren, such as buchstabieren‘to spell’, probieren‘to
try’,reagieren‘to react’, studieren‘to study’, telefonieren‘to telephone’:
Sie hat schnell reagiert.
She (has) reacted quickly.
Wir haben in Marseille studiert.
We studied in Marseille. - Verbs with the inseparable prefixes be-, emp-,ent-, er-,ge-, miss-,
ver-,zer-:
Ich habe mit Kreditkarte bezahlt.
I (have) paid by credit card.
Der Kellner hat mir die Suppe empfohlen.
The waiter (has) recommended the soup to me.
For more information on verbs with inseparable prefixes, see Unit 9.Separable verbs
Separable verbs form their past participles by placing ‘ge’ between the
separable prefix and the main verb: ankommen→angekommen,fernsehen
→ferngesehen:Wann seid ihr angekommen?
When did you arrive?Unit 11: The present perfect tense 85