Erschütterten

Erschütterten is the Präteritum (simple past) form of the German verb erschüttern. The verb itself means to shake violently, to disturb or unsettle physically, and to cause emotional or moral impact. In addition to physical disturbance, it is used metaphorically for events, news, or experiences that deeply affect people or a society.

Grammatical notes: erschüttern is an inseparable prefix verb with er- as part of the stem. In Präteritum, the forms are ich erschütterte, du erschüttertest, er/sie/es erschütterte, wir erschütterten, ihr erschüttertet, sie erschütterten. Therefore, erschütterten can function as the first-person plural and third-person plural past tense forms (wir erschütterten, sie erschütterten). The perfect tense uses haben: Die Nachricht hat die Bevölkerung erschüttert.

Usage and nuance: The sense ranges from a physical jolt, such as an earthquake or explosion, to a profound emotional or ethical shock. In journalism and literature it often conveys a strong, sometimes lasting, impact. Common collocations include “einen Ort erschüttern,” “eine Nachricht erschüttert jemanden,” and “die Öffentlichkeit erschüttern.” When describing personal reaction, the related participle erschüttert is used with estar-like constructions in other tenses or with haben in the perfect: Die Berichte haben die Bevölkerung erschüttert.

Etymology: The verb combines prefix er- with schüttern, a base meaning to shake or tremble. Its use is attested in Middle High German and has evolved into a common term for both physical and moral/spiritual disturbance.