hafteten

Hafteten is the simple past tense (Präteritum) form of the German verb haften. The verb haften has two main meanings: to adhere or cling physically, and to be legally liable or responsible for something. In the adhesive sense, haften describes how substances stick to surfaces, as in Die Farbe haftet an der Wand (The paint adheres to the wall). In the liability sense, haften is used with the preposition für to express responsibility, as in jemand haftet für den Schaden (someone is liable for the damage).

Usage and forms: In everyday speech the present tense is common, with forms such as ich hafte, du haftest, er hafte, wir haften, ihr haftet, sie haften. The simple past (Präteritum) forms include ich haftete, du haftetest, er haftete, wir hafteten, ihr haftetet, sie hafteten, as in Sie hafteten für den Schaden (They were liable for the damage). The past participle is gehaftet and is used with an auxiliary verb in perfect tenses, for example Der Kleber hat gut gehaftet (The glue adhered well).

Etymology and related terms: Haften derives from older Germanic roots related to adhesion and attaching. Related concepts include Haftung (liability), die Haft (bond or tether), and Haftpflichtversicherung (liability insurance). The adjective corresponding to liability is haftbar.

Overview: Hafteten, as a Präteritum form, appears mainly in written or formal narrative to describe past liability or adhesion events. In contemporary spoken German, the perfect tense with gehaftet or periphrastic constructions is more common for past sense, while haften remains a standard reference verb for both adhesion and liability.