* Formal Registers: The simple past is primarily used in formal writing, such as news reports, scientific papers, and historical accounts. It lends a more distanced and objective tone. In everyday conversation, it's comparatively rare.
* Specific Verbs: Certain verbs are *much* more likely to appear in the simple past than others. These are often verbs describing completed actions in the past, but even then, the perfect is often preferred. Examples of verbs frequently found in the Präteritum include:
* sein (to be): was/war (I/he was) waren (we/you/they were)
* haben (to have): hatte (I had) hatten (we/you/they had)
* werden (to become/to be): wurde (I/he became) wurden (we/you/they became)
* wissen (to know): wusste (I knew) wussten (we/you/they knew)
* können (to be able to): konnte (I could) konnten (we/you/they could)
* müssen (to have to/must): musste (I had to) mussten (we/you/they had to)
* Many irregular verbs
* Narrative Context: When telling a story or recounting a series of past events, the simple past can be used, although the perfect tense is often more common even in this context. The simple past can create a more flowing, almost cinematic feel to a narrative, especially in written form.
* Regional Variation: The frequency of simple past usage varies across German-speaking regions. In some regions, it's more common in everyday speech than in others. Southern German dialects often favor the perfect tense even more strongly than standard German.
In short: While the simple past exists in German, it's not a direct equivalent to the English simple past and its use is much more restricted. The *Perfekt* (perfect tense) is far more common in everyday spoken and informal written German. The simple past tends to be reserved for specific contexts and verb types, particularly in formal settings or when stylistic effect is desired.