We apply Smith's theory of aspect (1991) to German - a language without any aspectual markers. In particular, we try to shed more light on the effects aspect can have on d i s c o u r s e s t r u c t u r e and show how English and German behave differently in this respect. We furthermore describe how Smith's notion of a neutral v i e w p o i n t can be helpful for the analysis of discourse in German. It turned out that proposals claiming that the German Preterite covers.