bedeuteten

Bedeuteten is the simple past tense (Präteritum) form of the German verb bedeuten, meaning to mean or signify. It is used to describe something that signified or meant something in the past, typically with a plural subject or with the formal you (Sie) in narrative contexts. For example: Die Zeichen bedeuteten etwas. The form indicates a completed past interpretation of meaning, not a present statement.

Grammatical notes: Bedeuten is a transitive verb and normally takes a direct object representing what is meant or signified. The past tense form bedeuteten corresponds to subjects in the plural (wir, sie) or to the formal Sie in past narration. The corresponding singular past form is bedeutete. In modern spoken German, Präteritum is less common in everyday speech, where speakers often use the present perfect with bedeutet, but bedeuteten remains standard in written or formal narration, journalism, and literature.

Etymology: The verb bedeuten combines the prefix be- with deuten, which means to point to, indicate, or interpret. The prefix emphasizes the sense of indicating or signifying something. The abstract noun meaning of Bedeutung (meaning, significance) derives from the same root.

Usage tips: Bedeuten describes the significance or meaning of something in a past context. It can describe literal meanings (das bedeutet wörtlich) or broader implications (das bedeutete eine Veränderung). It is closely related to synonyms like meinen, signalisieren, or darstellen, but it more directly expresses what something signified rather than what one thinks it means.

Related terms: Bedeutung (meaning, significance), deuten (to interpret, to point), bedeuten (to mean, to signify).