versorgten

Versorgten is the simple past tense (Präteritum) of the German verb versorgen. It denotes the act of providing for someone or something in the past. The form versorgten is used with plural subjects (wir, sie) and in the third-person plural past; the corresponding singular past form is versorgte (e.g., er versorgte). The present tense is versorgen, and the past participle is versorgt.

Usage and syntax: Versorgen is a transitive verb. It typically takes a direct object that names what is supplied and often a recipient in the dative or a mit-phrase to indicate what was provided. Common patterns include the recipient with dative and the item with mit or without a preposition.

Examples:

- Sie versorgten die Bewohner der Stadt mit Wasser und Lebensmitteln.

- Die Hilfsorganisation versorgte die Evakuierten mit Decken und medizinischer Versorgung.

- Wir versorgten die Patienten während der Notfallphase.

Context and nuance: Versorgten appears mainly in written narratives, reports, or formal accounts describing past provisioning, care, or supply activities. In everyday spoken German, the Perfekt form haben versorgt is more common for the past, but Versorgten remains standard in narrative or historical contexts.

Related terms: versorgen (to provide, supply, care for), Versorgung (provision, supply, care), Versorger (provider, supplier), versorgt (past participle in other forms). The term covers material provisioning as well as caregiving and logistical support.