verlängerten

Verlängerten is a German word form derived from the verb verlängern, meaning to extend or prolong. It occurs in two main grammatical contexts: as the simple past tense (Präteritum) until for the third person plural, and as a declined attributive adjective form related to the past participle verlängert.

In the Präteritum, verlängerten denotes actions in the past carried out by a plural subject. For example: Sie verlängerten den Vertrag um zwei Jahre. Here the ending -ten marks the plural past tense conjugation. This form can also appear in past narrative with plural subjects in third person or with corresponding plural past forms.

As an attributive adjective, verlängerten appears before a noun and takes endings according to gender, number, and case. After a definite article, the adjective usually ends in -en for plural or in certain singular forms. Examples:

- Die verlängerten Öffnungszeiten (the extended opening hours) – plural, after a definite article.

- Den verlängerten Vertrag (the extended contract) – masculine singular accusative, after a definite article.

In other contexts, with indefinite articles or in plural without a definite article, the spelling and endings vary (e.g., verlängerte Öffnungszeiten, ein verlängertes Wochenende).

Etymology: verlängern combines ver- (a prefix with various uses) and längern (to lengthen), tracing back to the idea of making something longer or longer-lasting.

Usage notes: Verlängerten describes the act of making something longer (past tense) or acts as a descriptive adjective indicating that something has been extended. It is common in legal, commercial, and scheduling language, such as contracts, hours, or deadlines.

See also: verlängern, verlängerte Öffnungszeiten, verlängertes Wochenende.