raakten

Raakten is the simple past tense form of the Dutch verb raken and is used when the subject is plural. The verb raken has multiple related meanings, including to touch or come into contact, to strike or affect physically, to reach or attain, and to become or enter a new state. The past tense form raakten therefore covers a range of past events where a plural subject performs the action or undergoes the change.

In its present tense, the verb is conjugated as ik raak, jij raakt, hij/zij/het raakt, wij raken, jullie raken, zij raken. The past tense forms vary by subject, with raakte for singular subjects and raakten for plural subjects. The past participle is geraakt, which combines with auxiliary hebben or zijn to form perfect tenses, for example: we hebben geraakt, het dorp is geraakt.

Common uses of raakten in sentences include: "Tijdens de botsing raakten meerdere inzittenden gewond" (During the collision, several occupants were injured); "Het project raakte in de finale fase" (The project reached the final phase); "We raakten uitgeput na de lange wandeling" (We became exhausted after the long walk); "De storm raakte het dorp zwaar" (The storm affected the village severely).

Raakten can function with both concrete and abstract senses of contact or influence, including emotional or figurative effects, as in "het verhaal raakte de toeschouwers" (the story affected the spectators). The verb forms part of a versatile core in Dutch, capable of expressing changes in state, contact, and impact across past contexts.