Erlaubte

Erlaubte is the simple past tense form of the German verb erlauben, meaning to permit or allow. In this tense it indicates that permission was granted in the past. The form er erlaubt? No—erlaubte corresponds to the third-person singular in the Präteritum (erlaubte) as well as the first-person and other forms in that tense (ich erlaubte, du erlaubtest, er erlaubte, wir erlaubten, ihr erlaubtet, sie erlaubten). It is used in narratives or reports to describe past permissions.

Usage and meaning

Erlauben is used to describe granting consent or permission. Common constructions include jemandem etwas erlauben (to permit someone something) and es ist erlaubt (it is allowed). In past narration, one might say: Der Lehrer erlaubte den Schülern, früher zu gehen. Die Nutzung war erlaubt, solange die Regeln eingehalten wurden. The nuance distinguishes permission granted by someone with authority (erlauben) from more formal approvals (genehmigen) or more permissive allowances (zulassen).

Related forms and synonyms

The past participle of erlauben is erlaubt, used with haben in the perfect tense (ich habe erlaubt). Related verbs include gestatten (to grant permission, more formal) and zulassen (to allow or admit, with a sense of permitting to occur). The noun form is Erlaubnis, meaning permission or licence.

Etymology

Erlauben derives from a combination of a prefix and an older root related to permitting. The word has deep historical usage in German and appears in various dialects and historical texts, maintaining the core meaning of granting leave or consent.

See also

Erlaubnis, gestatten, zulassen, genehmigen.