existierten

Existierten is the simple past tense (Präteritum) form of the German verb existieren, meaning to exist. It appears in narrative or formal writing to describe past existence. The full Präteritum paradigm for existieren is ich existierte, du existiertest, er existierte, wir existierten, ihr existiertet, sie existierten. Therefore, the form existierten is used for the first-person plural (wir existierten) and the third-person plural (sie existierten) as well as the formal Sie existierten.

Etymology and origins: existieren is a loanword in German, transmitted through French exister from Latin existere, meaning to arise or to exist. The Latin term is generally analyzed as ex- “out” plus sistere “to stand” or “to set;” the overall meaning has shifted over time toward “to exist” or “to be present.” The German verb acquired its modern spelling and forms in the early modern period and follows regular German conjugation patterns for weak verbs.

Usage and notes: In standard German, the Präteritum is commonly used in written language and formal storytelling, while the Perfekt is more typical in everyday speech. The specific past tense form existierten functions as the plural past and is not itself a substantive term; its meaning is entirely determined by the surrounding clause. In modern prose, you may encounter both existierte and existierten depending on subject number and formality.

Related terms: existenz (existence), existieren (to exist), Existenzminimum. The word shares roots with terms denoting being, presence, and ontology.