The past participle is a verb form used to create the present perfect, past perfect, and passive voice in German.
It is typically formed by adding the prefix ge- and the suffix -t or -en to the stem of the verb, with the exceptions below.
However, some irregular verbs form their past participles differently.
Formation
Regular verbs: Add ge- at the beginning and -t at the end of the verb stem.
Example: machen → gemacht (made)
Irregular verbs: Add ge- at the beginning and -en at the end, though many have irregular stems.
Example: gehen → gegangen (gone)
Without ge- at the start
Verbs with an inseparable prefix (be-, ent-, er-, ge-, ver-, zer-) do not add ge-.
Examples: verstehen → verstanden (understood), bezahlen → bezahlt (paid)
Verbs ending in -ieren do not add ge- either.
Example: studieren → studiert (studied)
Separable verbs
ge- goes between the prefix and the verb.
Examples: aufstehen → aufgestanden (got up), anrufen → angerufen (called)
Example
Ich habe das Buch gelesen.
I have read the book.
Er hat den Film gesehen.
He has seen the film.
Wir haben Deutsch gelernt.
We have learned German.