kontrollierten

Kontrollierten is the simple past (Präteritum) form of the German verb kontrollieren. It is used with plural subjects or with the formal address Sie in the past tense, for example: Wir kontrollierten die Pässe. Sie kontrollierten die Tickets. It is not the past participle; the past participle of kontrollieren is kontrolliert. The Präteritum form kontrollierten corresponds to English “they/you formal (past) controlled” or “we controlled.”

Etymology and meaning: kontrollieren means to check, inspect, or verify. The verb stems from the noun Kontrolle (control, inspection), itself borrowed into German with influences from French contrôle, and developed into the everyday verb kontrollieren. In usage, kontrollieren covers activities such as security checks, quality audits, compliance verifications, and general monitoring.

Usage and nuance: In written German, kontrollierten is common in narratives and reports when describing past inspections or verifications. It is a neutral, factual term without inherent value judgment. The verb can pair with direct objects like Ausweise, Dokumente, Lagerbestände, or Prozesse to indicate what was checked. In legal or sociological contexts, the noun form Die Kontrollierten may appear, referring to the people who were subjected to checks, but this noun is used sparingly and is always capitalized.

Related terms include Kontrolle (control, inspection), kontrollieren (to control, inspect), and kontrolliert (the past participle/adjective form meaning controlled).