Leuchtete

Leuchtete is the simple past tense form (Präteritum) of the German verb leuchten, meaning to shine or emit light. It is used to describe light emission in a narrative past and corresponds to the English “shone” or “glowed.”

In Präteritum, leuchten is a regular weak verb. The endings are -te for ich and er/sie/es, -test for du, -ten for wir and sie/Sie, and -tet for ihr. Thus the forms include: ich leuchtete, du leuchtetest, er leuchtete, wir leuchteten, ihr leuchtetet, sie leuchteten. Because of regular pronunciation, these forms are straightforward for learners of German.

Usage notes: In everyday spoken German, the Perfekt (hat geleuchtet) is far more common for past events. Leuchtete appears mainly in written narratives, literature, newspapers, or formal prose. The related present tense is leuchtet, the past participle is geleuchtet, and the present participle is leuchtend. The noun form Leuchten denotes the act or phenomenon of shining, while Leuchttend refers to related descriptive qualities.

Examples: Der Mond leuchtete durch das Fenster. Die Straßen leuchteten nach dem Regen. In der Perfektform would one commonly hear: Der Mond hat durch das Fenster geleuchtet.

See also: leuchten, geleuchtet, leuchtend, Leuchten.

Etymology: leuchten derives from the Germanic root for light and has cognates in related Germanic languages.