Erzähltet

Erzähltet is the Präteritum (simple past) second-person plural form of the German verb erzählen, meaning to tell or recount. It translates to "you all told" or "you all were telling" in English, depending on context. The form is regular for weak verbs: ich erzählte, du erzähltest, er erzählte, wir erzählten, ihr erzähltet, sie erzählten. The infinitive is erzählen; the past participle is erzählt. The spelling reflects the stem erzähl- and the typical Präteritum ending for ihr.

In modern usage, the Präteritum form erzähltet is mainly found in written narration, historical texts, or stylistic choices in fiction. In everyday spoken German, speakers more often use the Perfekt: ihr habt erzählt. This makes the simple past less common in colloquial speech, though it remains correct and standard in appropriate contexts.

Usage notes include that erzäh­len is a regular, weak verb, so its past forms follow predictable patterns rather than internal vowel changes. The umlaut in the stem (erzäh-) affects accompanying forms in the present tense and some past forms, while erzählen remains the base form used for dictionaries and general reference.

Example: Ihr erzähltet dem König eine Geschichte. Translation: You all told the king a story. Another common example in narrative prose: Ihr erzähltet, was geschehen war. Translation: You all told what had happened. Erzähltet serves particularly well for historical or literary narration where a past-tense voice is intentional.