Participles – Free Exercise

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Exercises B1

Construct the participles of the following verbs.

Infinitive Present Participle Past Participle
tanzen    weak verb: ge…t
arbeiten    weak verb: ge…t
denken    mixed verb: denken-dachte-gedacht
schlafen    strong verb: schlafen-schlief-geschlafen
fliegen    strong verb: fliegen-flog-geflogen

Do we need to use the present participle or the past participle? Choose the correct form.

  1. Den Briefträger böse , rannte der Hund am Zaun hin und her.[Angrily growling at the postman, the dog ran back and forth along the fence.]|If the actions take place at the same time, we use the present participle.
  2. Einmal die Treppe , hielt sich das Kind fortan immer am Geländer fest.[Having fallen down the stairs once, the child always held firmly on to the banister ever since.]|If the action with the participle took place before the action in the main clause, we use the past participle.
  3. Die Führerscheinprüfung , konnte er nun mit dem Auto zur Arbeit fahren.[Having passed his driving test, he could now drive to work.]|If the action with the participle took place before the action in the main clause, we use the past participle.
  4. Mit ihrer Freundin , lag sie auf dem Sofa.[She lay on the sofa while chatting to her friend on the phone.]|If the actions take place at the same time, we use the present participle.
  5. Die Hausaufgaben , schnappte er seinen Fußball und ging zum Spielen hinaus.[Having finished his homework, he grabbed his football and went out to play.]|If the action with the participle took place before the action in the main clause, we use the past participle.