definerten

Definerten is a finite form of the German verb definieren in the Präteritum (simple past) and is used with plural subjects. It translates to “defined” in English and indicates a past action of defining something. Because it is a past tense form for plural subjects, it appears in sentences such as “Wir definierten die Kriterien” or “Sie definerten die Begriffe.”

In German, the Präteritum forms of definieren follow a regular pattern for the plural and some mixed forms for the singulars. The typical conjugation in Präteritum is: ich definierte, du definiertest, er definierte, wir definierten, ihr definiertet, sie definierten. The form definerten specifically corresponds to wir or sie in the past tense. For the singular, the past tense would be definierte (ich, er) or definiertest (du), not definerten.

Usage notes: Definerten is common in written German, including academic, technical, and historical prose. In everyday speech, speakers often prefer the present perfect haben definiert instead of the Präteritum, or they use other constructions to describe past definitions. The verb definieren itself is a loanword from Latin through German, related to the concept of setting boundaries or giving precise meanings to terms, concepts, or terms within a text.

See also: definieren, Präteritum, German verb conjugation, terminology definition.