Berichteten

Berichteten is a German verb form. It is the simple past tense (Präteritum) of the verb berichten, meaning to report or to tell about something. The form berichteten is used with plural subjects in the past (for example, sie berichteten) and also with the formal address Sie in the past tense.

Etymology and forms: The verb berichten derives from the noun Bericht (a report) with the infinitive suffix -en. In the Präteritum, regular verbs like berichten take endings such as -te (singular) and -ten (plural). Thus berichteten appears as the third-person plural past tense and also as the formal second-person plural past tense (Sie berichteten).

Usage: Berichteten signals that multiple agents conveyed information previously, or that a formal address reported something in the past. It is common in narrative writing, historical accounts, and journalism, as well as in reported speech. Example: Die Zeugen berichteten dem Kommissar von dem Vorfall. Another example: Sie berichteten, dass der Vorfall sich bereits ereignet hatte.

See also: Bericht, Berichterstattung, berichten. Note that berichteten is strictly a verb form and not a standalone noun; related nouns refer to the content of reporting or the act of reporting.