lauten

Launten is a German verb with meanings centered on content and wording. It is used to express what a text, statement, or contract says, or how it is worded. In formal and legal language, lauten often introduces the content of what is being reported, for example: Der Vertrag lautet folgendermaßen. In this sense, lauten can be used transitively to indicate what something reads or states.

The verb also has a related usage as a preposition meaning according to or as stated by, written before a noun phrase with a following case. When used this way, the construction is not a verb but a preposition: Laut dem Bericht gab es keinen Schaden. This sense is common in news reporting and official summaries.

Grammatical notes: infinitive lauten; present tense forms include lautet for the third-person singular (Der Bericht lautet...). The past tense commonly appears as lautete (Der Vertrag lautete …). The verb is mostly found in formal or literary contexts, and in everyday speech it is less frequent than synonyms such as sagen or stehen.

Overall, lauten serves two main roles: describing the exact content or form of a text, and functioning as a preposition meaning according to. Its use tends to be most prominent in written, administrative, or journalistic German, where precise phrasing and attribution are important.