verzögerte

Verzögerte is a form of the German verb verzögern, meaning to cause something to be later than expected or to postpone. The verb is transitive and takes a direct object, as in "etwas verzögern" (to delay something). The form verzögerte is the Präteritum (simple past) for ich, er/sie/es, and corresponds to sentences like "Ich verzögerte die Abfahrt" or "Er verzögerte die Lieferung." The plural forms in the Präteritum are "wir verzögerten" and "sie verzögerten."

The past participle of verzögern is verzögert, which is used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses. In everyday usage, the reflexive form "sich verzögern" is common for delays that affect the subject itself, as in "Der Ablauf verzögerte sich." Passive constructions like "Die Lieferung wurde verzögert" are also possible to describe a delay imposed by external factors.

Etymology and related forms: verzögern is built with the prefix ver- attached to zögern, the verb meaning to hesitate. The noun corresponding to a delay is Verzögerung, and the adjective meaning "delayed" is verzögert, used as in "verzögerte Lieferung" or "eine verzögerte Entscheidung."

Usage and nuance: verzögern denotes the act of causing a postponement or slowing down, often due to logistical, administrative, or procedural reasons. It can describe actions by people, organizations, or processes. In contexts like logistics, project management, or public administration, Verzögerung (the noun) is a common term, and verzögert is frequently used in attributive or predicative positions to characterize the state of being late.