schnappte

Schnappte is the simple past (Präteritum) form of the German verb schnappen, used for the first and third person singular (ich schnappte, er/sie/es schnappte). Pronounced [ˈʃnap.tə], the verb means to snap, snatch or grab, and in some contexts to gasp. It is a regular (weak) verb; related forms include the infinitive schnappen, the past participle geschnappt and the present participle schnappend.

Usage spans literal and idiomatic senses. Literal examples are physical actions, as in Er schnappte den Ball (He snatched the ball). Idiomatic or reflexive uses include sich etwas schnappen (to grab or get something) and nach Luft schnappen (to gasp for air). It appears in both neutral narrative descriptions and colloquial speech.

Etymology traces schnappen to Germanic roots related to similar verbs in neighboring languages (for example Dutch snappen and English snap), reflecting an imitative origin associated with a quick, biting or seizing motion. Synonyms depend on context and may include greifen (to grasp), ergreifen (to seize), fangen (to catch) or schnüren (in certain regional uses).

As a past-tense form, schnappte is commonly found in narratives, reports and conversation when describing a completed action; its nuances are determined by accompanying context and particle use (e.g., wegschnappen for snatching away).