Nachgedacht

Nachgedacht is the past participle of the German verb nachdenken, meaning to think about something, to reflect, or to consider. It is chiefly used in the perfect tense with the auxiliary haben, as in Ich habe darüber nachgedacht. The verb nachdenken is separable; in the perfect tense the prefix nach- forms part of the participle, yielding nachgedacht, while the topic is often framed with außerdem or darüber.

In sentences, nachdenken expresses a completed act of contemplation. The standard construction combines a prepositional phrase such as darüber, über das Problem, or einfach over a topic, with the participle: Ich habe lange darüber nachgedacht. Ich habe über das Angebot nachgedacht. The simple past form is Ich dachte darüber nach, while the perfect is Ich habe darüber nachgedacht.

Nuances and related terms: nachdenken denotes general reflection. A related verb, überdenken, more strongly implies reconsideration and potential change of mind. The noun form is das Nachdenken, meaning contemplation or reflection. An adjective related to the quality of thinking is nachdenklich, meaning thoughtful or pensive, used to describe a person or mood rather than the act of thinking itself.

Typical usage examples:

- Ich habe lange darüber nachgedacht. (I’ve thought about it for a long time.)

- Er hat über das Angebot nachgedacht und sich entschieden. (He thought about the offer and made a decision.)

- Sie war nachdenklich, als sie die Nachricht hörte. (She was thoughtful when she heard the news.)

Overall, nachgedacht is a standard linguistic form used to indicate completed reflection in German, most often in the present perfect.