schufen

Schufen is the simple past tense (Präteritum) form of the German verb schaffen, meaning to create, to accomplish, or to bring about. It is primarily found in written German, including literature, historical narratives, and formal prose. In everyday speech the perfect tense (hat geschaffen) is typically used instead, but schufen remains common in contexts that require a past-tense narrative voice, especially in older texts.

Usage and scope: The form schufen is used with plural subjects, such as wir (we) and sie (they), and with the formal pronoun Sie in past-tense constructions. Its presence helps convey a sense of distance, formality, or historical framing. Because German has several past tenses, schufen may appear alongside other Präteritum forms in complex sentences or stylistic writing.

Connotation and style: As a literary or historical tense, schufen often appears when recounting events, describing actions in a sequence, or presenting a formal record of what happened. Modern colloquial German tends to favor the Perfekt for past actions, while schufen can convey a more narrative, timeless, or antiquated tone.

Example: Wir schufen eine neue Ordnung. This sentence demonstrates how the form expresses that “we created” in a past, narrative context.

For further reference, see Schaffen (verb) and Präteritum, which cover the related verb meaning, conjugation patterns, and tense usage.