Sorgten

Sorgten is the simple past tense (Präteritum) form of the German verb sorgen. In standard usage, sorgen can mean two related ideas: to take care of someone or something, and to worry or feel concern about something. In the Präteritum, that past action is expressed with forms such as wir sorgten (we took care of / we worried), ihr sorgtet, sie sorgten. The corresponding singular past forms are ich sorgte, du sorgtest, er/sie/es sorgte. The past participle is gesorgt, and the present tense forms are sorge, sorgst, sorgt, and so on. The Perfekt (present perfect) is commonly used in speech: ich habe gesorgt, du hast gesorgt, er hat gesorgt.

Etymology and related forms: sorgen comes from Old High German sorgan, related to the Dutch zorgen and to English worry in its sense of distress, as well as to care in the sense of providing for someone. These senses are connected historically, with the common thread of concern or provisioning.

Usage notes: Sorgten is most often encountered in written or formal narrative, whereas the spoken language frequently uses the Perfekt tense (hat gesorgt) for past actions. When used with the reflexive form sich sorgen, meaning to worry oneself, the past tense still uses sorgten (Wir sorgten uns; Sie sorgten sich um etwas). In compound constructions, sorgen is combined with prepositional phrases to specify what is being cared for or worried about.

Examples:

- Wir sorgten für das leibliche Wohl der Gäste. (We took care of the guests’ refreshments.)

- Die Eltern sorgten sich um die Gesundheit ihres Kindes. (The parents worried about their child’s health.)

- Die Firma sorgte dafür, dass alles pünktlich verlief. (The company took care to ensure everything ran on time.)

---