Answers
Nov 18, 2013 - 03:29 PM
I am also at the same lesson and level and wondered several times about the way the past is taught. I think the confusion comes from the fact that up to this level (3) and lesson (9), the present perfect (haben gesehen) is used as past. In reality it is closer to "You have seen the city - Du hast die Stadt gesehen" than to the action in the past (You saw the city). It is also true that Germans seldom use the simple past (präteritum or Imperfekt) which I assume will come in future lessons or levels ("Du sahst die Stadt"). In colloquial German the present perfect is more often used for the past than the simple past. Hope this helps.
Nov 18, 2013 - 10:29 PM
The simple past in German is used primarily in newspapers and magazines.
Nov 19, 2013 - 02:21 PM
I believe and I maybe wrong that the German past participle covers the English simple past, present perfect and past continuous. So I think your translation against there translation is not a million miles away from each other I think the main point is you understood what was being said.