Reference to the past
The present tense can also refer to a past event which has already occured. In this case, it should be accompanied by a temporal adverbial, which will clearly indicate that it refers to a past event. It is often used in headlines* or historical lists**.
| Examples |
| Ich steige gestern in den Buss ein, da stoße ich auf einen alten Freund. |
| Amokläufer tötet mehrere Menschen (*) |
| 1789 beginnt die Französische Revolution (**) |
The present tense with reference to the past is used instead of the Präteritum; it is, however, more vivid than the Präteritum. That is why it is particularly used in literature.