Breakdown of Beim Mittagessen haben wir draußen gesessen.
haben
to have
wir
we
draußen
outside
beim
at the (bei + dem)
das Mittagessen
the lunch
sitzen
to sit
Questions & Answers about Beim Mittagessen haben wir draußen gesessen.
The past participle here is gesessen. What is the original verb, and why doesn't it end in "-t"?
The infinitive (dictionary form) is sitzen (to sit). It is an irregular (or "strong") verb. Instead of the regular ge-...-t pattern you learned earlier, strong verbs end in -en. The vowel in the middle also changes from "i" to "e" (sitzen -> gesessen). These irregular forms just have to be memorized!
Why is haben right after Beim Mittagessen instead of after wir?
In German, the conjugated verb (here, haben) must always be in the second position of a statement. Beim Mittagessen (At lunch) acts as a single block of time information taking up position one. To keep haben in position two, it has to come immediately next, which pushes the subject wir into position three.
Why do we use haben as the helper verb here instead of a form of sein (to be)?
In the Perfekt tense, you only use sein as your helper verb if the action involves a change of state or physical movement from one place to another (like running or traveling). Since sitting is a stationary position with no movement from A to B, standard German uses haben.
What exactly is Beim short for?
Beim is a contraction of the preposition bei (at/during) and the article dem (the). Nouns for meals, like das Mittagessen, take the dative case after bei, which changes das to dem. Instead of saying bei dem, Germans squish it together into beim.
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