nutzten

Nutzten is the simple past tense (Präteritum) form of the German verb nutzen, meaning to use, to make use of, or to utilize. It is used in narrative or formal contexts to describe actions in the past. The form is associated with plural or previously mentioned subjects in the past (for example, wir nutzten, sie nutzten).

Conjugation: ich nutzte; du nutztest; er nutzte; wir nutzten; ihr nutztet; sie nutzten. The corresponding past participle is genutzt, and the auxiliary verb for the perfect tense is haben, as in Wir haben die Gelegenheit genutzt.

Usage: nutzen contrasts with benützen, though both appear in standard German. Generally, nutzen emphasizes using something to achieve a goal or benefit, while benutzen can refer to handling or operating an object. Common phrases include eine Chance nutzen, eine Gelegenheit nutzen, Ressourcen nutzen. The verb also participates in compounds such as ausnutzen (to exploit or take advantage of), which has a more negative or opportunistic sense.

Etymology and frequency: nutzen derives from Old High German nuzan and Middle High German nuzen, with the related noun Nutzung. In modern German, nutzen is widely used across registers, and nutzten appears primarily in written past-tense narration or reported speech.