A COMPARISON OF TENSE FORMATION IN GERMAN AND ENGLISH

du bist nichts

.

du warst nichts

.

du bist nichts gewesen

.

du warst nichts gewesen

.

du wirst nichts sein

.

du wirst nichts gewesen sein

.

du wärest nichts

.

du wärest nichts gewesen

.

du bist doch nichts

du warst doch nichts

you amount to nothing

you are amounting to nothing

you amounted to nothing

you were amounting to nothing

you have amounted to nothing

you have been amounting to nothing

you had amounted to nothing

you had been amounting to nothing

you will amount to nothing

you will be amounting to nothing

you will have amounted to nothing

you will have been amounting to nothing

you would amount to nothing

you would be amounting to nothing

you would have amounted to nothing

you would have been amounting to nothing

you do amount to nothing

you did amount to nothing

Of particular note is the existence of the continuous tense in English (formed by the addition of -ing). A similar idea can be expressed in German with the construction: sein + bei + the infinitive as noun:

Du bist (gerade) beim Nichtssein.
Du warst (damals) beim Nichtssein.