verliebten

Verliebten is a German term that can refer to two distinct linguistic uses: a verb form and a noun. When written in lowercase as verliebten, it is the Präteritum (simple past) form of sich verlieben, meaning to fall in love. It is used with plural subjects to indicate that two or more people fell in love in the past. For example: Sie verliebten sich ineinander. Wir verliebten uns beim Spaziergang. In narrative prose, this form commonly appears in historical or literary contexts.

As a noun, Verliebten (capitalized) can denote the lovers, that is, people who are in love. The typical singular forms are der Verliebte (masculine) and die Verliebte (feminine); the plural nominative is die Verliebten. The noun is relatively literary or romantic in tone and is often used to describe a couple rather than a specific action. Example: Die Verliebten gaben sich ein Versprechen.

Relation to related words: Verliebt is the adjective meaning “in love,” as in Ich bin verliebt. Verliebtheit is the noun form for the state or feeling of being in love (infatuation). These forms are distinct in usage from verliebten as a past-tense verb or from the noun Verliebte/Verliebten describing people in love. In everyday language, speakers may prefer phrases like das Paar ist verliebt or das verliebte Paar rather than the more literary noun.

See also: verliebt, Verliebtheit, Verliebte.