förderten

Förderten is the simple past tense form (Präteritum) of the German verb fördern, meaning to promote, support, or foster. It is used with plural subjects in narrative or historical contexts, as in wir förderten, ihr fördertet, sie/Sie förderten. The corresponding singular past tense form is förderte. In English, the meaning of fördern and its past tense can be rendered as funded or supported, depending on context.

Etymology and related forms: The verb fördern centers on the concept of bringing support or advancement forward. Its related noun is Förderung, meaning promotion or funding, and related compounds include Fördermittel (funding) and fördernd (promoting). The past participle is gefördert, used with the auxiliary haben to form Perfekt: Die Stiftung hat das Projekt gefördert.

Usage and style: In modern German, Präteritum is common in written language for reporting past events, especially in journalism and literature, while spoken language more often uses Perfekt. The form förderten typically appears when describing actions by multiple agents or institutions in the past, such as organizations funding programs or projects. Example sentences: Die Stiftungen förderten mehrere kulturelle Projekte. Die Stadt förderte das Bildungsprogramm in den letzten Jahren, wie Berichte zeigen. Note that noun usage is not applicable for "förderten" itself, since it is a verb form.

See also: Förderung (promotion, funding), Fördermittel (funding), gefördert (past participle).