trennten

Trennten is the simple past tense form (Präteritum) of the German verb trennen, meaning to separate, detach, or divide. It appears in narratives and descriptions to indicate that a separating action occurred in the past. The form trennten is used with plural subjects, for example wir trennten and sie trennten.

Conjugation notes: the present stem is trenn-, and the Präteritum forms are: ich trennte, du trenntest, er/sie/es trennte, wir trennten, ihr trenntet, sie trennten. The past participle is getrennt, and the perfect tense is formed with haben: ich habe getrennt, du hast getrennt, er/sie/es hat getrennt, wir haben getrennt, ihr habt getrennt, sie haben getrennt. In reflexive use, such as sich trennen (to separate from someone), the past can be sich trennten or sich getrennt haben, depending on construction.

Usage and nuances: trennten describes a completed act of separation concerning concrete objects, groups, or relationships. It can refer to physical division (separating components), organizational splitting (dividing tasks or resources), or ending a relationship (sie trennten sich). In historical or narrative texts, trennten helps convey that a separation occurred at a specific past moment.

Related terms: trennen (the infinitive), Trennung (the act of separation), getrennt (the past participle). The word is common in standard German and appears across prose, reports, and dialogue when describing past divisions or disengagements.