kündigten

Kündigten is the simple past (Präteritum) form of the German verb kündigen, meaning to terminate, resign, or give notice in relation to contracts, employment, leases, or agreements. The form kündigten appears with the subject wir (we terminated) or sie/Sie (they terminated or you terminated in formal address). The corresponding singular past form is kündigte (ich/er/sie/es) and the form kündigtest (du). In written or formal contexts, Präteritum is common, while in everyday speech the Perfekt with haben gekündigt is usually preferred: Wir haben den Vertrag gekündigt.

Kündigen denotes actions that end a contractual or employment relationship. It can apply to contracts, leases, memberships, or jobs. The related noun die Kündigung refers to the act of termination or the termination notice itself, and related terms include die Kündigungsfrist (notice period) and die fristlose Kündigung (immediate termination).

A note on related verbs: ankündigen means to announce or to announce in advance, and its simple past is ankündigten. Despite the similarity in form, kündigten (without the prefix an) is not used for announcing; it specifically refers to terminating or giving notice.

Examples:

- Wir kündigten den Mietvertrag zum Monatsende.

- Sie kündigten ihren Job im Unternehmen.

See also: Kündigung, Kündigungsfrist, Arbeitsrecht, Vertragskündigung.