Grüßten

Grüßten is the simple past (Präteritum) form of the German verb grüßen, meaning to greet. It is used with plural subjects, such as wir, ihr, sie, and with the formal address Sie, in the past tense. In everyday spoken German, the Perfekt form (haben gegrüßt) is more common for past events, while Präteritum appears more often in written narration, journalism, and formal writing.

Conjugation in the Präteritum for the verb grüßen

- ich grüßte

- du grüßtest

- er/sie/es grüßte

- wir grüßten

- ihr grüßtet

- sie/Sie grüßten

Usage notes

- Grüßten typically describes a completed greeting in the past. Examples: “Die Gäste grüßten den Gastgebern höflich.” “Wir grüßten die Nachbarn, als wir hereinkamen.”

- The form grüßten can carry a sense of formality or literary style when used in narrative contexts.

- In many varieties of spoken German, speakers would express the same idea using the Perfekt: “gegrüßt haben.” In formal or historical writing, Präteritum forms like grüßten are common.

Etymology and related forms

- Grüßen is a standard German verb with roots in older Germanic languages. Grüßten is the corresponding Präteritum form, used with plural subjects or with the formal Sie, to indicate that a greeting occurred in the past.