Bedeutete

Bedeutete is the simple past tense (Präteritum) form of the German verb bedeuten, which means to mean, signify, or imply. The word is used to describe a past meaning or significance attributed to someone or something in written or formal narrative.

In Präteritum, bedeuten behaves like a regular weak verb. Typical forms include ich bedeutete, du bedeutetest, er bedeutete, wir bedeuteten, ihr bedeutetet, sie bedeuteten. The accompanying participle for the perfect tense is bedeutet, which is used with haben to form phrases like hat bedeutet (“has meant”).

Usage and nuance: bedeutete is commonly found in written German, such as literature, journalism, and historical or descriptive passages. In everyday spoken German, speakers most often use the Perfekt form hat bedeutet to express past meaning or significance. For example, Was bedeutete das? (What did that mean?) or Der Vertrag bedeutete dem Unternehmen eine Wendung. (The contract signified a turning point for the company.)

Etymology and related forms: bedeuten is formed with the prefix be- added to deuten, itself related to the idea of pointing to or indicating meaning. The related noun Bedeutung means “meaning” or “significance,” and the adjective bedeutend means “important” or “significant.” The verb contrasts with adjectives like bedeutend, which describe importance rather than tense.