entlasteten

Entlasteten is the Präteritum (simple past) form of the German verb entlasten. It describes the action of relieving someone or something from a burden, duty, or liability. The sense can be physical, such as unloading a load, or figurative, such as reducing a workload, removing obligations, or exonerating from charges. The related noun Entlastung denotes relief or unloading, and the prefix ent- combined with laden conveys the sense of taking away a burden.

Usage of entlasteten occurs in narrative or formal writing when the subject is plural, as in sie entlasteten or die Maßnahmen entlasteten. In everyday speech, the present or perfect forms are more common: entlastet or haben entlastet. The perfect tense would be ihr habt entlastet, ich habe entlastet, etc., depending on the subject.

Etymology and nuance: entlasten derives from ent- (a prefix indicating removal or separation) and laden (to load). The term covers both physical unloading and figurative relief, including reducing administrative or financial burdens or exonerating someone from responsibilities or accusations in appropriate contexts.

Examples:

- Die Maßnahmen entlasteten die Mitarbeiter von übermäßiger Bürokratie.

- Die Berichte entlasteten die Leitung von den Vorwürfen.

Related terms include Entlastung (relief, unloading) and entlasten (to relieve, to exonerate). In translation, entlasteten can mean “relieved,” “lightened,” or “exonerated,” depending on context.