Auxiliary second, participle last
In English, have and seen stay together: I have seen a film with Anna yesterday. German pulls them apart. The auxiliary (haben or sein) takes position two, the participle goes to the very end, and the rest of the sentence sits in between. This frame is called the Satzklammer (sentence bracket).
Ich habe einen Film gesehen.
I watched a film.
Ich habe gestern einen Film gesehen.
I watched a film yesterday.
Ich habe gestern mit Anna einen Film gesehen.
I watched a film with Anna yesterday.
Questions and other first words
The auxiliary behaves like any conjugated verb. It moves to the front in a yes/no question, and it follows the first element in a statement or W-question. The participle stays at the end every time. There is no German did.
Hast du gut geschlafen?
Did you sleep well?
Was hast du am Wochenende gemacht?
What did you do at the weekend?
Gestern habe ich lange gearbeitet.
Yesterday I worked for a long time.
Wann seid ihr nach Hause gekommen?
When did you get home?
Longer sentences
Find the auxiliary in position two and the participle at the end before you read the translation.
Am Samstag haben wir mit Freunden im Park gegrillt.
On Saturday we had a barbecue with friends in the park.
Ich habe dir die Fotos noch nicht geschickt.
I haven't sent you the photos yet.
Leider habe ich meinen Schlüssel zu Hause vergessen.
Unfortunately I left my key at home.
Das Paket ist heute Morgen angekommen.
The parcel arrived this morning.
