I. Theory
The German simple past, also known as das Imperfekt or das Präteritum, is used almost exclusively in narration and writing. When conveying the past in conversation, the Perfekt is preferred. For this reason, we usually do not find this form used with the second person forms du, ihr, or with the formal Sie.| Er sprach mit dem Barman. He spoke with the bartender. Der König und Königin tanzten zusammen. The king and queen danced together. Der alte Mann erzählte den Kindern die Geschichte. The old man told the children the story. |
As you can see from the examples above,