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How to Say ‘What did you do before?’ in German

Was haben Sie vorher gemacht?

vas hah-ben zee FOR-hair geh-MAHKHT

[vas hah-ben zee FOR-hair geh-MAHKHT]

💬 Usage Tip: To talk about the past, put haben in second place and send the action word to the end: gemacht. Same shape: Was haben Sie studiert? "What did you study?"

Phrase Breakdown

Was haben Sie

vas hah-ben zee

What have you

Formal question start using 'Sie'. 'Was' sounds like 'vahs', because the German 'w' is pronounced like an English 'v'.

Example

Was haben Sie gesagt?

What did you say?

Words in this phrase

Was

[vas]

what

Question word asking about a thing.

Example

Was machst du?

What are you doing?

haben

[hah-ben]

have

To possess or hold something.

Example

Ich habe ein Buch.

I have a book.

Sie

[zee]

you

The formal 'you' used in polite professional conversations.

Example

Ich freue mich, Sie hier auf der Jobmesse zu sehen.

I am pleased to see you here at the job fair.

vorher gemacht?

FOR-hair geh-MAHKHT

done before

'vorher' means 'before, previously'. The 'v' sounds like an 'f'. 'gemacht' is the past participle of 'machen' and comes at the end of the sentence.

Example

Ich habe das vorher gemacht.

I did that before.

Words in this phrase

vorher

[FOR-hair]

beforehand, before

Earlier than a given event.

Example

Bitte rufen Sie vorher an.

Please call beforehand.

gemacht

[geh-MAHKHT]

made, done

Past participle of 'machen'; 'Spaß machen' means to be fun.

Example

Das Konzert hat Spaß gemacht.

The concert was fun.

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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