begrüßte

Begrüßte is a form of the German verb begrüßen. It corresponds to the English “greeted” and is used as the simple past tense in narrative and reported speech. Like other regular German verbs, it follows a standard Präteritum pattern with the stem begrüß- and endings -te, -test, -te, -ten, -tet, -ten. Accordingly, the forms include ich begrüßte, du begrüßtest, er/sie/es begrüßte, wir begrüßten, ihr begrüßtet, sie/Sie begrüßten. The form can also occur as Konjunktiv II in hypothetical past contexts, where it often mirrors the Präteritum.

Etymology: begrüßen originates from the prefix be- plus grüßen (to greet). The noun Begrüßung (greeting) derives from the same verb. The spelling uses the German umlaut ü and the ligature ß (Eszett) in the past tense forms, with variations depending on orthographic standards.

Usage: Begrüßte is primarily a literary or historical tense; in everyday spoken German, the present tense forms such as begrüßt (present participle) or the Perfekt (hat begrüßt) are more common in conversation. The sentence “Sie begrüßte ihn herzlich” means “She greeted him warmly.” In narrative prose, the Präteritum form is often used to recount past events, while spoken language tends to favor the Perfekt.