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I would like to know which verbs(besides sein, haben, and the modals) are commonly spoken in the Präteritum in Northern Germany, specifically Berlin(state).

This question was answered partially here but the answers were not region specific. According to the linked answer, the following (non sein/haben/modal)verbs are commonly spoken in the Präteritum in unspecified parts of Germany(specific use cases are explained in the link):

  • gehen
  • finden
  • aussehen
  • geben
  • liegen (used more often than gelegen)
  • stehen
  • rufen
  • denken
  • tun (not used often in any tense outside of tut mir leid)
  • übrig bleiben

I know that wissen is sometimes used as well, is there a guideline for this? Any suggested changes to this list?

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Ronald
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  • We must separate between senses of every such verb, as with tun and bleiben. finden in Ich fand's gut is different than Hast Du den Schlüssel gefunden? Then you will see that, although it is not completely logic-driven, there is a tendency to use the preterite for ongoing states, similar to imperfect. In that sense, it is not an arbitrary function of the verb, but rather of intended meaning. That said, there is often overlap in meaning, and differences between regions and registers. – Adam Bittlingmayer Feb 29 '16 at 07:54
  • Spoken language is regionally different - Swiss german and some south-western dialects don't even know the Präteritum. So, good you asked for a region. – tofro Feb 29 '16 at 13:45
  • I'm not sure, how you arrived at the conclusion, that tun is rarely used; in any case I disagree, especially in spoken language and even more so when a limited vocabulary is an issue. – guidot Feb 29 '16 at 14:15
  • As I understand SO, breathing new air into an existing question is typically done by setting a bounty, which avoids the danger of the question being closed as duplicate. – guidot Feb 29 '16 at 14:18
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    I doubt there ever will be a concise list of verbs - as said in the linked Q&A it is regionally very different. People have their preferences but they still may use one or the other tense in spoken German everywhere. Both are allowed and both are prefectly understood. Please [edit] your question to better clarify where your question is different to the duplicate question, and which of your concerns were not answered there. – Takkat Feb 29 '16 at 15:08
  • @Takkat I have edited the question, can it be reopened? – Ronald Feb 29 '16 at 23:48
  • Thank you for the edit. Your question in now in the reopen review queue. It will be reopened on sufficient votes from the community. – Takkat Mar 01 '16 at 09:37
  • @tofro Even for sein? (Bavarian knows exactly two preterites: war and wollt) – Jan Mar 03 '16 at 01:53

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