befahlen
Befahlen is the simple past tense form (Präteritum) of the German verb befehlen, used with third-person plural subjects. It means that a group of people gave an order to someone else, as in “Sie befahlen dem Soldaten, die Tür zu öffnen.” The corresponding forms for other persons in Präteritum include ich befahl, du befahlst, er befahl, wir befahlen, ihr befahlt, sie befahlen. The third-person plural form befahlen is commonly found in narrative, historical, and formal contexts.
Befehlen expresses the act of commanding or ordering someone to perform a task. It is typically used
Befehlen is an irregular verb with a distinct Präteritum paradigm for the plural. In the perfect (present
The term befehlen derives from the combination of be- and a root related to command or order,
Befehl, to order or command, and related verbs such as gebieten (to command) and befolgen (to follow).