German · B1 · Everyday language
What I thought and knew in German
Use dachte, wusste and brachte to recount what you thought, what you knew and what someone brought. These past-tense forms help you describe mistaken assumptions and small surprises.
What you'll learn
- Use dachte to describe a past thought or assumption.
- Use wusste to describe knowledge you had in the past.
- Use brachte to say what someone brought.
- Choose the correct forms for ich, du, er/sie and wir.
German phrases for what i thought and knew
Ich dachte, die Antwort war einfach.
I thought the answer was easy.
Dachte describes your earlier impression; it does not mean that the impression was correct.
Du dachtest, heute war Freitag.
You thought today was Friday.
With du, use dachtest.
Wir dachten, das Geräusch kam von draußen.
We thought the noise came from outside.
With wir, use dachten.
Ich wusste die Antwort, aber ich war unsicher.
I knew the answer, but I was unsure.
Wusste describes past knowledge, even if you lacked confidence.
Sie wusste genau, was das Schild bedeutete.
She knew exactly what the sign meant.
Sie meaning 'she' takes wusste, just like ich and er.
Wusstest du, dass die Tür offen war?
Did you know that the door was open?
Wusstest du …? asks about someone's past knowledge.
Er brachte aus Versehen das falsche Blatt mit.
He brought the wrong sheet by mistake.
Brachte … mit comes from mitbringen, meaning 'to bring along'; it uses the same past-tense forms as bringen.
Wir brachten eine zusätzliche Kopie für dich mit.
We brought an extra copy for you.
With wir, use brachten; mitbringen is natural when bringing something along for someone.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
die Antwort, die Antworten
answer
das Geräusch, die Geräusche
noise; sound
An individual sound, not necessarily a loud one.
das Schild, die Schilder
sign
A sign displaying information or instructions.
die Tür, die Türen
door
das Blatt, die Blätter
sheet; leaf
Here it means a sheet of paper.
die Kopie, die Kopien
copy
aus Versehen
by mistake; accidentally
Use this when something was not intentional.
zusätzlich
extra; additional
Three irregular Präteritum forms
These verbs change their stem and also use a -te ending. Learn them as denken → dachte, wissen → wusste and bringen → brachte. Ich and er/sie share a form; du adds -st and wir adds -n to that form. Wusste has no umlaut.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ich | ich dachte / wusste / brachte | Ich dachte, die Antwort war einfach. |
| du | du dachtest / wusstest / brachtest | Du brachtest das falsche Blatt mit. |
| er/sie | er/sie dachte / wusste / brachte | Er wusste die Antwort. |
| wir | wir dachten / wussten / brachten | Wir wussten die Antwort. |
Choosing the right verb
Dachte reports a thought or belief, which may later turn out to be wrong. Wusste reports knowledge, not just a guess. Brachte reports bringing something; for bringing something along, use brachte … mit.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Past assumption | denken → dachte | Sie dachte, heute war Freitag. |
| Past knowledge | wissen → wusste | Sie wusste genau, was das Schild bedeutete. |
| Bringing something along | mitbringen → brachte … mit | Er brachte eine Kopie mit. |
More examples
Ich dachte, die Antwort war einfach. Aber ich war unsicher.
I thought the answer was easy. But I was unsure.
Dachte reports the earlier impression.
Du wusstest die Antwort! Das war eine Überraschung für mich.
You knew the answer! That was a surprise to me.
Wusstest is the du form of wusste.
Wir dachten, das Geräusch kam von draußen. Aber es war unser Hund im Flur!
We thought the noise came from outside. But it was our dog in the hallway!
Dachten introduces an assumption that the next sentence corrects.
Ich brachte aus Versehen das falsche Blatt mit. Zum Glück brachtest du eine zusätzliche Kopie mit.
I brought the wrong sheet by mistake. Luckily, you brought an extra copy.
Compare ich brachte with du brachtest.