verhandelte

Verhandelte is the simple past tense (Präteritum) form of the German verb verhandeln, meaning to negotiate or bargain over terms such as price, contracts, or conditions. It is used in narrative prose and formal writing to indicate that negotiations occurred in the past. The corresponding past participle is verhandelt, which is used with the auxiliary haben to form the present perfect: ich habe verhandelt.

Grammatically, verhandeln is inseparable in its prefix ver-, so it does not split in main clauses; the verb is conjugated as a regular weak verb in the Präteritum: ich verhandelte, du verhandeltest, er verhandelte, wir verhandelten, ihr verhandelten, sie verhandelten.

Usage notes: Verhandelte often appears when recounting historical negotiations, business deals, legal settlements, or diplomatic talks. It can imply lengthy, detailed bargaining and the exchange of concessions. In everyday speech the present tense verhandeln is more common, but the Präteritum form appears in reports or literature.

Examples: Er verhandelte den Preis mit dem Lieferanten. Die Delegation verhandelte über die Konditionen des Abkommens. In der Geschichte verhandelten die Parteien über die Grenzregelung.

Relation and related terms: Verhandlung means negotiation or hearing; verhandeln is the verb; verhandelte is the Präteritum form. See also Verhandlung, Verhandelung.