lohnte

Lohnte is the simple past tense form of the German verb lohnen, which means to be worth it, to pay off, or to reward. In use, lohnte expresses that a past action or situation yielded a benefit or proved worthwhile. The construction often leverages the reflexive form sich lohnen, as in Es lohnt sich (it is worth it) in the present, and Es lohnte sich in the past.

In practical terms, lohnte appears in sentences such as Es lohnte sich, früh aufzustehen (It was worth getting up early) or Der Aufwand lohnte sich (The effort paid off). It can refer to plans, efforts, investments, or decisions that proved beneficial after the fact. The phrase can also take a more general subject, for example Der Plan lohnte sich am Ende (The plan paid off in the end). The past participle of lohnen is gelohnt, used with auxiliary forms to form compound tenses.

Etymologically, lohnen is related to the noun Lohn, meaning reward or pay, and the verb expresses the idea of obtaining a reward or if an action yields value. This family of terms reflects the semantic link between effort, reward, and value in German.

Notes for learners: lohnen is commonly used with sich in everyday speech and writing, but it also occurs with a direct subject when referring to the payoff of an action or decision. The present tense is lohnt, the past tense form includes lohnte in various person forms, and the past participle is gelohnt. As a result, lohnte is a typical past-tense form that communicates past value or payoff.