riefst

Riefst is a form of the German verb rufen. It is the second-person singular simple past tense (Präteritum) form, written as riefst and pronounced [ʁiːfst]. The verb rufen means to call, to shout, or to summon. In standard German conjugation, the Präteritum forms include ich rief, du riefst, er rief, wir riefen, ihr rieft, sie riefen. The corresponding perfect tense is du hast gerufen.

Usage in ordinary speech is less common in the past tense; many speakers prefer the perfect tense, as in du hast gerufen. In written German, especially in literature and historical narratives, riefst appears more frequently to convey a past action with a narrative tone. The form should not be confused with present-tense du rufst (you call) or with the plural past form ihr rieft (you all called) in some older spellings.

Pronunciation centers on a long [iː] vowel in the stem, yielding a crisp, monosyllabic rief-st sequence. Spelling and pronunciation are generally regular, but dialectal variations can affect the vowel quality and the usage of Präteritum versus Perfekt.

As a proper noun, Riefst could theoretically appear as a surname or a place name, though such uses are uncommon and capitalized differently from the verb form. In linguistic discussions, riefst is primarily noted as the du-form of the Präteritum of rufen.