brachten

Brachten is the simple past tense (preterite) of the Dutch verb brengen, meaning to bring or to carry toward a place. It is used with plural subjects such as wij, jullie, and zij in the past (wij brachten, jullie brachten, zij brachten). The past tense for the second-person polite singular is u bracht, while the singular forms ik bracht, jij bracht, and hij/zij/het bracht are also used for singular subjects. The past participle of brengen is gebracht, used with hebben to form perfect tenses (we hebben gebracht, ze hebben gebracht).

Infinitive and related forms: the infinitive is brengen. Present tense forms include ik breng, jij brengt, hij/zij/het brengt, wij brengen, jullie brengen, zij brengen. The past tense form brachten is therefore most common with plural subjects; in singular contexts the form brengt or bracht appears, depending on person.

Usage notes: brachten is common in narrative and reported speech to describe actions completed in the past. It contrasts with gebracht (past participle) used in perfect tenses, such as hebben gebracht. A related construction is meebrengen, whose past tense and participle form include meebrachten and meegebracht.

Origin and cognates: brengen is a Germanic verb with cognates in German (bringen) and English (bring). The past tense form brachten reflects regular past-tense patterns found in Dutch for plural subjects.

Example: De reizigers brachten hun bagage naar de kamer. Zij brachten een cadeau mee. Zij hebben het pakket gebracht.