How to Talk About the Past in German: Yesterday, Last Week, Last Month, and Last Year

Learning how to describe your past activities in German can be tricky for non-native speakers. Fortunately, once you know the right structures, it becomes much easier. In this guide, we’ll explore how to talk about what you did yesterday, last week, last month, and last year, with examples and English translations.

A helpful tip in German: you can start a sentence with the time expression, such as gestern, letzte Woche, letzten Monat, or letztes Jahr, followed by the verb and the rest of the sentence. This is a common and natural way to emphasize when something happened.

Talking About Yesterday in German

To discuss what you did yesterday, you generally use the construction “Ich habe/bin + past participle”. Examples include:

Ich habe gestern gearbeitet. – I worked yesterday.
Gestern habe ich Freunde besucht. – Yesterday, I visited friends.
Ich habe gestern ein Buch gelesen. – I read a book yesterday.
Gestern bin ich nach Berlin gefahren. – Yesterday, I traveled to Berlin.

Notice how starting with gestern changes the emphasis slightly, making it clear the focus is on when the action occurred.

Talking About Last Week in German

To talk about last week, use “Ich habe in der letzten Woche…” or “Ich bin letzte Woche…”. Examples:

Ich habe in der letzten Woche Urlaub gemacht. – I went on vacation last week.
Letzte Woche habe ich eine Konferenz besucht. – Last week, I attended a conference.
Ich habe in der letzten Woche Sport getrieben. – I exercised last week.
Letzte Woche bin ich nur zu Hause geblieben. – Last week, I stayed home.

Starting with letzte Woche is common in spoken and written German when you want to highlight the time first.

Talking About Last Month in German

For activities from last month, you can use “Ich habe im letzten Monat…” or begin with the time:

Ich habe letzten Monat eine Reise gemacht. – I went on a trip last month.
Letzten Monat habe ich ein neues Hobby begonnen. – Last month, I started a new hobby.
Ich habe letzten Monat eine Prüfung bestanden. – I passed an exam last month.
Letzten Monat bin ich mit dem Zug nach Leipzig gefahren. – Last month, I traveled by train to Leipzig.

This word order is very natural in German and is often used to emphasize when something happened.

Talking About Last Year in German

For events from last year, use “Ich habe im letzten Jahr…” or “Ich bin letztes Jahr…”, and you can also start with the time:

Ich habe letztes Jahr einen neuen Job angefangen. – I started a new job last year.
Letztes Jahr habe ich ein Haus gebaut. – Last year, I built a house.
Ich habe letztes Jahr eine wichtige Entscheidung getroffen. – I made an important decision last year.
Letztes Jahr bin ich nach China geflogen. – Last year, I flew to China.

Starting with letztes Jahr helps emphasize the time, which is useful when telling a story or recounting past experiences.

Tips for Talking About the Past in German

Pay attention to verbs: Some verbs use sein instead of haben in the past tense, usually verbs of movement or change.
Use time markers: Words like gestern (yesterday), letzte Woche (last week), letzten Monat (last month), and letztes Jahr (last year) help clarify when an action happened.
Place the time first for emphasis: In German, starting with the time expression is natural and emphasizes when something occurred.
Practice regularly: The more you use these phrases in conversation or writing, the more natural they will feel.

By using the correct phrases and optionally starting with the time expression, you can confidently share your past experiences in German. With regular practice, talking about the past will soon feel as easy as speaking about the present.