kreuzten

Kreuzten is the simple past tense (Präteritum) form of the German verb kreuzen, meaning to cross or intersect. It is used primarily in written or formal narrative to describe actions that occurred in the past. In everyday spoken German, the Perfekt form haben gekreuzt is more common: Wir haben die Straße gekreuzt.

Etymology and usage context: The verb kreuzen derives from the concept of making a cross or intersecting lines, paths, or objects. It can describe crossing physical barriers such as streets or borders, as well as intersecting lines, routes, or metaphorical crossings. The meaning can be transitive (to cross something) or intransitive in combination with objects like streets or paths.

Conjugation and examples: In Präteritum, the forms are ich kreuzte, du kreuztest, er/sie/es kreuzte, wir kreuzten, ihr kreuztet, sie/Sie kreuzten. For example: Er kreuzte die Straße an der Ampel. Die Wege kreuzten sich auf halbem Weg. Die Linien kreuzten sich im Diagramm. In Perfekt: Er hat die Straße gekreuzt. Man kann auch durchkreuzen oder überkreuzen verwenden, je nach Nuance (durchkreuzen = to cut through a barrier; überkreuzen = to cross over or cross paths, often in a figurativen Sinn).

Related terms: kreuzen (to cross) as the base verb; durchkreuzen (to cut through, to cross completely or invalidate as in plans); überkreuzen (to cross over or cross paths, sometimes with a sense of crossing each other). Kreuzung is the noun for the act or place of crossing, such as a street crossing or an intersection.

Kreuzten, as a past tense form, appears mainly in narrative contexts or historical writing and is widely understood by German readers as the past action of crossing.