antworteten

Antworteten is a German verb form that corresponds to the simple past tense (Präteritum) of the verb antworten, meaning to answer or respond. The form antworteten is used for wir (we) and sie (they) in the past tense, and it is also the same spelling for those plural subjects in formal written contexts.

Conjugation and form

The verb antworten is a regular weak verb. In the Präteritum, the full paradigm is: ich antwortete, du antwortetest, er/sie/es antwortete, wir antworteten, ihr antwortetet, sie antworten ten. The form antworteten therefore appears in sentences with subjects "wir" and "sie." The corresponding past participle is geantwortet, used with auxiliary haben in the perfect tense (z. B. wir haben geantwortet).

Usage and register

Antworteten, as a past-tense form, is standard in written German and in formal narration. In everyday spoken German, speakers more often use the present perfect (Perfekt) or other tenses, such as "wir haben geantwortet" or "wir haben geantwortet" to convey completed actions. The Präteritum, including wir antworteten oder sie antworteten, can be found in storytelling, news reporting, literature, and contexts where a past sequence is described.

Etymology and related forms

The verb antworten shares its root with the noun Antwort (answer). The two forms reflect the same semantic field, with antworteten serving as the finite past-tense form. Regional variation in the use of Präteritum is typical in German, but the form antworteten remains correct and widely understood in standard German. Example: Gestern antworteten die Experten auf alle Fragen.