Recherchierten

Recherchierten is a conjugated form of the German verb recherchieren, meaning to research, investigate, or systematically search for information. The verb is a borrowing from French, where recherche means search or research, and has become common in academic, journalistic, and business contexts in German.

Grammatically, recherchieren is a regular verb. Recherchierten is the Präteritum (simple past) form used with plural subjects or with the formal Sie. For example: Wir recherchierten die Fakten; Sie recherchierten die Hintergründe. The corresponding singular Präteritum form is recherchierte (Ich recherchierte, Er recherchierte). The past participle is recherchiert and is used with haben to form the present perfect: Wir haben recherchiert.

Usage and nuance: recherchieren conveys a sense of deliberate, methodical information gathering and source verification. It is appropriate in reporting, scholarly writing, and professional communication. It can cover activities from locating sources to evaluating their reliability and corroborating statements. In more everyday language, synonyms like nachforschen, untersuchen, or prüfen may be used, but recherchieren often implies a structured, source-based inquiry.

Related forms: The noun Recherche (process of researching, a research inquiry) and the plural Recherchen (research efforts, inquiries). The term is widely understood in German-speaking areas and remains neutral, lacking strong connotations of advocacy or sensationalism.

Examples: Die Redaktion recherchierte gründlich, bevor der Bericht veröffentlicht wurde. Die Forscherinnen recherchierten mehrere Jahre lang zu diesem Thema.