Erwarteten

Erwarteten is the simple past tense (Präteritum) form of the German verb erwarten, meaning to expect or to anticipate. It is used in narrative and reported speech to describe past events in which a subject had an expectation or was waiting for something. The word represents a plural past tense form and can appear with wir, ihr, or sie (and with Sie in formal address) in the past narrative.

Grammatical use and examples: As a Präteritum form, erwarteten occurs with plural subjects. For example: Wir erwarteten eine Nachricht. Ihr erwartetet den Brief. Sie erwarteten den Zug seit Stunden. The same form can also appear in Konjunktiv II in certain conditional constructions, where the context clarifies that it is hypothetical rather than a straightforward past event; in many cases the distinction relies on auxiliary verbs or surrounding clauses.

Etymology and related forms: Erwarteten is built from the verb erwarten, with the prefix er- added to warten (to wait). Related forms include erwarten (infinitive), erwartet (present tense third person singular and past participle), and Erwartung (noun meaning expectation). The past singular forms are expected, such as ich erwartete or er erwartete, but erwarteten specifically marks the plural past.

Usage notes: Erwarteten is common in written German, especially in storytelling or historical narration. It conveys that an expectation existed in the past, which may or may not have been fulfilled. Understanding the form helps distinguish tense and subject in sentences where the verb root is clear from context.