schwang

Schwang is the simple past tense (Präteritum) form of the German verb schwingen. The verb means to swing, to wave, or to move with a sweeping or lifting motion. Schwang is primarily used in narrative or formal writing to describe a past action; in everyday speech, speakers typically use the perfect tense with hat geschwungen to describe past events.

Conjugation is irregular in the past tense. In the present tense, the forms are ich schwinge, du schwingst, er/sie/es schwingt, wir schwingen, ihr schwingt, sie schwingen. In Präteritum, the forms are ich schwang, du schwangst, er/sie/es schwang, wir schwangen, ihr schwangt, sie schwangen. The past participle is geschwungen, and the perfect tense is formed with hat geschwungen.

Etymology and related forms: the verb derives from Old High German schwengan and is cognate with related Germanic forms such as Dutch zwaaien and English swing, reflecting shared roots in movement and motion.

Usage notes: schwung appears most often in written texts describing past motion. It can appear in poetry or formal narration, but contemporary prose more commonly uses the perfect form. In everyday language, speakers rarely rely on Präteritum schwang for past events in speech, opting for hat geschwungen to describe what happened. Examples include: Der Arm schwang durch die Luft; Der Wind schwang die Fahne; Er schwang den Arm vor und zurück.