befahlst

Befahlst is the second-person singular simple past form (Präteritum) of the German verb befehlen, meaning to command or order someone to do something. This form is used mainly in written narrative and formal contexts, where past actions are described without relying on the present perfect.

Grammatically, befehlen is a strong, prefix-verb with a stem change in different tenses. The present tense forms are befehle, befiehlst, befiehlt, befehlen, befiehlt, befehlen. The Präteritum (simple past) forms include befahl, befahlst, befahl, befahlen, befahlt, befahlen. The past participle is befohlen, used with haben to form the perfect: du hast befohlen, er hat befohlen. The infinitive is befehlen.

Usage and construction: befehlen commonly governs a dative recipient and an infinitive clause that expresses the commanded action. Example: Du befahlst dem Soldaten, sich zu ergeben. In narrative prose, one might also see: Der König befahl seinem Heer, voranzumarschieren. In everyday speech, speakers more often use the perfect, as in Du hast befohlen, rather than the Präteritum du befahlst.

Notes: befahlst represents a past action and is the direct past-tense counterpart to the present befiehlst. The form contrasts with the modern preference for readability and immediacy, where the perfect tense is more frecuente in conversation. Etymology-wise, befehlen combines the prefix be- with a root related to commanding or ordering, forming a distinct verb separate from related words such as befolgen (to obey or follow).

See also befehlen, befiehlt, befiehlst, befahl, befohlen.