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How to Say ‘I won for the first time!’ in German

Ich habe zum ersten Mal gewonnen!

ikh HAH-beh tsoom AIR-sten mahl ge-VON-en

[ikh HAH-beh tsoom AIR-sten mahl ge-VON-en]

💬 Usage Tip: With habe, the main verb jumps to the very end, and everything else slots in between: Ich habe gestern Pizza gegessen "I ate pizza yesterday".

Phrase Breakdown

Ich habe

ikh HAH-beh

I have

This is the helper verb for the perfect tense.

Example

Ich habe Hunger.

I'm hungry.

Words in this phrase

Ich

[ikh]

The pronoun 'ich' in nominative form.

Example

Ich bin da.

I am here.

habe

[HAH-beh]

have

Form of 'haben' used with 'ich'.

Example

Ich habe einen Plan.

I have a plan.

zum ersten Mal

tsoom AIR-sten mahl

for the first time

This time phrase sits in the middle of the sentence.

Example

Zum ersten Mal schneit es.

It's snowing for the first time.

Words in this phrase

zum

[tsoom]

to the

Indicating direction toward a place.

Example

Wir gehen zum Park.

We are going to the park.

ersten

[AIR-sten]

first

Form of 'erste' after 'am', used to say on which date something happens.

Example

Wir fahren am ersten Juli in Urlaub.

We go on holiday on the first of July.

Mal

[mahl]

time (occasion)

Noun meaning an occurrence or instance, as in 'first time' or 'three times'.

Example

Das war das letzte Mal.

That was the last time.

gewonnen!

ge-VON-en

won!

The participle goes last. Say ge-WON-nen.

Example

Sie hat gewonnen.

She won.

Words in this phrase

gewonnen

[ge-VON-en]

won

Past participle of 'gewinnen'.

Example

Brasilien hat gewonnen.

Brazil has won.

Guides for German learners

Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Tapping on a Screen or Talking Out Loud?Duolingo vs Pimsleur: five minutes of tapping versus thirty minutes of speaking. What each is good at, what each costs, and which to pick for your goal.

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