erstatteten

Erstatteten is the simple past tense form (Präteritum) of the German verb erstatten. The verb erstatten has two main senses in standard German: to reimburse or refund costs, and to file or lodge a report or complaint with an authority. Because it is transitive, erstatten takes a direct object that can be a monetary item (Kosten, Reisekosten) or a document (Anzeige, Beschwerde). In addition to the sense of paying back money, erstatten can also mean to present or submit something formally.

In the reimbursement sense, erstatten is used with objects such as costs or expenses. The Präteritum form for a plural subject is erstatteten. Examples: Der Arbeitgeber erstattete die Reisekosten. Wir erstatteten die Kosten. In everyday speech and writing, the Perfekt is more common: Der Arbeitgeber hat die Reisekosten erstattet.

In the sense of filing a report or complaint, erstatten is used with verbs like Anzeige erstatten or Beschwerde erstatten. The Präteritum would be: Sie erstatteten Anzeige gegen den Verdächtigen. This usage is typical in formal or administrative contexts.

Etymology: erstatten comes from er- plus statten, where statten originally meant to furnish or provide. The prefix er- indicates completion, realization, or a change of state, and the compound conveys the idea of making something available or returning what is due.

Overall, erstatteten is a past-tense inflection of erstatten and should be interpreted from context as either reimbursing costs or filing a report, depending on the object and the surrounding text.