Wusste

Wusste is the simple past tense form of the German verb wissen, meaning to know. It expresses knowledge in a past context and is used in narrative or formal writing, or when the speaker refers to knowledge that existed at a definite past time. In everyday spoken German, the Perfekt (hat gewusst) is often preferred for past-tense references, though wusste remains common in storytelling and reported speech.

Conjugation in the simple past (Präteritum) of wissen:

Ich wusste

Du wusstest

Er/sie/es wusste

Wir wussten

Ihr wusstet

Sie wussten

Usage notes:

Wusste expresses a completed state of knowledge in the past. It can describe a past fact, a realization, or a knowledge that existed at a certain time. It is often used with time expressions like gestern, damals, or vor Jahren. For example: “Gestern wusste ich, dass er kommt” or “Ich wusste früher nicht, wo er wohnt.” In contrast, the present perfect form “habe gewusst” emphasizes the relevance of the knowledge to the present moment, as in “Ich habe es gewusst” (I knew it [and perhaps still know it]).

Related forms:

The past participle of wissen is gewusst, used with haben to form the present perfect: “Ich habe es gewusst.” The Konjunktiv II (subjunctive) form is wüsste, as in “Ich wüsste gern, wie das geht,” used for hypothetical or polite statements.

See also: wissen, gewusst, wüsste.