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Diese Gewohnheit lernte ich als Kind und behielt sie bis heute.

Diese Gewohnheit lernte ich als Kind und behielt sie bis heute.
I learned this habit as a child and kept it until today.
FromLesson 35inHardcore German
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Questions & Answers about Diese Gewohnheit lernte ich als Kind und behielt sie bis heute.

Why is Diese Gewohnheit placed at the very beginning, and why does ich come after lernte?

German follows the “verb-second” (V2) rule in main clauses. When you start with any element other than the subject (here Diese Gewohnheit), the finite verb (lernte) must be in second position, and the subject (ich) follows the verb.
Without fronting the object, you would simply say:
• Ich lernte diese Gewohnheit als Kind.

Why is there no article before Kind in als Kind?
The phrase als Kind is a fixed temporal expression meaning “when (I was) a child.” In such “als + noun” time clauses, German typically drops the article. It functions adverbially (“as a child”) rather than marking a noun with its usual case.
Could I use the present perfect tense instead of the simple past here?

Yes. Especially in spoken German, the present perfect is very common. You could say:
• Diese Gewohnheit habe ich als Kind gelernt und bis heute behalten.
Both versions are correct. The simple past (Präteritum) is more typical in written narratives or formal contexts.

What is sie in und behielt sie bis heute, and what case is it?
Sie is the accusative singular feminine pronoun referring back to diese Gewohnheit. German usually replaces a previously mentioned noun with its corresponding object pronoun, so you don’t have to repeat the full noun phrase.
Where exactly does bis heute fit into the sentence, and what does it mean?
Bis heute is an adverbial phrase meaning “until today” or “to this day.” In German, time expressions often come at the end of the sentence. You could also place it right after the verb in some contexts, but final position is most natural here.
What’s the difference between diese Gewohnheit and die Gewohnheit?

• die Gewohnheit uses the definite article “the habit” with no special emphasis.
• diese Gewohnheit uses a demonstrative pronoun (“this habit”), highlighting or pointing out that specific habit in contrast to others.

Can I front als Kind instead of diese Gewohnheit?

Yes. If you want to emphasize the time, you can start with als Kind. Remember to invert the verb and the subject again:
• Als Kind lernte ich diese Gewohnheit und behielt sie bis heute.

Why are both verbs lernte and behielt in the simple past tense?
They form a coordinated structure (“and … ”) sharing the same tense. Using simple past for both keeps the narration consistent. Mixing tenses is possible (e.g., “lernte … und habe … behalten”), but consistency in tense choice often makes a narrative smoother.

More from this lesson

Gestern schrieb ich einen langen Brief an meinen Freund.der PostboteDer Postbote klingelt laut an der Tür.Der Postbote brachte heute Morgen diesen Brief zu mir nach Hause.erhöhenWir erhöhen die Temperatur im Haus.Die Lösung für unser kleines Problem erhöht jetzt unsere Sicherheit.die Gewohnheit
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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.

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