Gelebt

Gelebt is the past participle of the German verb leben (to live). It denotes the action of having lived and is used to express lived experience rather than mere existence. In standard usage it appears mainly in the perfect tense with the auxiliary haben, as in Ich habe in Berlin gelebt or Wir haben viele Jahre in Japan gelebt.

Formation and grammar: Gelebt is formed with the ge- prefix and the -t suffix, following the typical pattern for many German verbs. As a past participle, it combines with haben to form the Perfekt: ich habe gelebt, du hast gelebt, er hat gelebt, etc. It can appear in subordinate clauses and with other tenses in compound forms, always retaining the same participle form gelebt.

Nominalization and nuance: The form das Gelebte can be used as a noun in literary or philosophical contexts to refer to the lived experience or what has been lived. In such usage, it is capitalized as a noun and serves to convey a sense of personal history or the impact of a life lived. Examples include phrases like Das Gelebte prägt den Menschen, where the emphasis is on experiential content rather than mere duration.

Usage notes: Gelebt emphasizes duration and experiential quality, contrasting with a simple statement of residence or time spent somewhere. It is common in biographical writing, memoirs, and discussions of life paths, as well as in everyday speech when highlighting what someone has experienced over a period of time. The word is firmly established in standard German and is readily understood by speakers across dialects.