steuerten

Steuerten is a German verb form belonging to the verb steuern, meaning to steer, to direct, or to regulate. In its simple past (Präteritum) it marks actions that were completed in the past. The form steuerten specifically corresponds to the first-person plural and third-person plural in the past tense, as in wir steuerten and sie steuerten. The second-person plural past tense form is steuertet, while the first- and third-person singular forms are steuerte (ich/er steuerte).

As a regular (weak) verb, steuern forms its past participle as gesteuert, which is used with haben to form the present perfect: Wir haben das Fahrzeug gesteuert. This makes steuerten common in narrative and formal writing, where past actions of directing, guiding, or regulating are described.

Usages and contexts for steuern include nautical or vehicular steering (das Schiff steuern), piloting aircraft, and broader figurative uses such as governing a project, a policy, or a system. In everyday language it can refer to directing a process, managing a device, or controlling resources.

Note that steuern is etymologically distinct from Steuern, the noun meaning taxes; they share a common Germanic root related to directing or guiding, but they function as different parts of speech in modern German.

In summary, steuerten is the past tense form used with plural subjects to indicate steering, directing, or regulating in the past. The related forms steuern (present), gesteuert (past participle), and steuerte/steuertest (other past forms) complete the paradigm.