größte

Grüßte is a form of the German verb grüßen, meaning to greet or to send regards. It is the simple past (Präteritum) tense form used with several subjects: ich grüßte (I greeted) and er/sie/es grüßte (he/she/it greeted). The second-person singular past form is du grüßtest, while the first-person plural, second-person plural, and third-person plural forms are wir grüßten, ihr grüßtet, and sie grüßten, respectively. The past participle is gegrüßt, used with haben in the perfect tense, as in ich habe gegrüßt.

Etymology and meaning. The verb grüßen comes from a Germanic root connected with greeting or saluting, and the related noun Gruß embodies the act or expression of a greeting. The exact historical development is intricate and varies by region, but today grüßen denotes the act of acknowledging someone’s presence or offering regards, whether verbally or by gesture.

Usage. Grüßte appears primarily in written or formal narrative contexts as a past-tense form. In everyday spoken German, speakers more commonly use the perfect tense: ich habe gegrüßt. The ambiguous nature of the form grüßte means its interpretation depends on context and pronouns. It can describe past greetings in past narratives or historical accounts.

Examples. Er grüßte sie höflich. (He greeted her politely.) Ich grüßte ihn gestern. (I greeted him yesterday.) Du grüßtest mich, als du hereinkamst. Wir grüßten die Nachbarn am Tor. The form grüßte can function for both ich and er/sie/es in isolation, depending on context.