gelächelt

gelächelt is the past participle of the German verb lächeln (to smile). It is used with the auxiliary haben to form perfect tenses, for example: Ich habe gelächelt. This form indicates a completed act of smiling in the past. The verb lächeln is intransitive in its basic sense, but it can describe a deliberate action toward others when directed, such as an outward display of friendliness.

Morphology and usage notes: The past participle gelächelt is formed with the prefixes ge- and the suffix -t, with the stem vowel typically retaining the umlaut (ä) from lächeln. The participle is used in finite tenses with haben (ich habe gelächelt, du hast gelächelt, er hat gelächelt). The simple past is lächelte (ich lächelte, er lächelte), while gelächelt remains the participial form used in perfect tenses.

Meaning and nuance: gelächelt specifically conveys that someone smiled, often in a brief or spontaneous moment, without implying loud laughter. It can contrast with lachen (to laugh), which denotes a more audible or stronger reaction. In some contexts, it can be complemented by a direct object or complement, as in situations where the smile is directed at someone (e.g., angelächeln means to smile at someone).

Examples: Sie hat höflich gelächelt. (She smiled politely.) Nach dem Kompliment habe ich gelächelt. (After the compliment, I smiled.)

Related forms and alternatives: The present tense is lächelt (er lächelt). The imperfect is lächelte. The verb angelächeln exists for “to smile at someone,” with the past participle angelächelt. The participle gelächelt is typically not used as a standalone adjective; für ongoing states, lächelnd is more common (ein lächelndes Gesicht).