Beobachtetet

Beobachtetet is the second-person plural Präteritum (Imperfekt) form of the German verb beobachten, meaning to observe or watch. It corresponds to “you observed” in English when the subject is ihr. The form is primarily found in written narratives and older texts; in everyday spoken German, speakers more often use the Perfekt (ihr habt beobachtet) or other tenses.

Grammar and usage

Beobachten is a weak verb. In Präteritum, the endings are -te (ich), -test (du), -te (er), -ten (wir), -tet (ihr), -ten (sie/Sie). Therefore, the ihr- form is beobachtetet. This form serves to place a past action with a plural you as the subject. In modern conversation, speakers typically prefer the present perfect construction ihr habt beobachtet, especially in spoken language.

Relation to other forms

Beobachtetet is related to the past participle beobachtet, which is used with auxiliary haben to form the present perfect: ihr habt beobachtet. The Präteritum form beobachtetet is distinct from the participle and from other past forms such as wir beobachteten or sie beobachteten.

Examples

- Gestern beobachtetet ihr das Geschehen im Park. (You observed the events in the park yesterday.)

- Ihr beobachtetet aufmerksam die Vögel, während das Licht sich änderte.

See also

Observing in German grammar: the verb beobachten; Präteritum versus Perfekt; conjugation of weak verbs in German.