erlerntest

Erlerntest is the second-person singular Präteritum (simple past) form of the German verb erlernen, meaning you learned or you mastered a skill through instruction or practice. It is primarily found in written narratives or formal speech; in everyday spoken German, people usually use the perfect tense with haben: du hast erlernt.

Conjugation in Präteritum (Präteritum forms for erlernen):

- ich erlernte

- du erlerntest

- er/sie/es erlernte

- wir erlernten

- ihr erlerntet

- sie/Sie erlernten

Origin and nuance: erlernen is a prefixed verb formed from lernen with er-, and erlernte (the stem used for Präteritum) indicates acquiring a new skill through effort. The form erlerntest specifically marks the past, second-person singular. The verb emphasizes the process of obtaining a capability rather than a general act of learning.

Usage notes: In contemporary spoken German, the Perfekt with haben is more common for past events: du hast erlernt. The Präteritum form erlerntest appears more often in formal writing, literature, or historical narrative. For contrast, the related verb lernen covers broader learning activities, while erlernen stresses the mastery of a specific skill.

Example: Du erlerntest die Technik im Kurs. In everyday speech this would more likely be expressed as Du hast die Technik gelernt or Du hast die Technik erlernt.

See also: erlernen (to learn a skill), lernen (to learn in general), erlernt (past participle of erlernen, used with haben in Perfekt).