veränderten

Veränderten is a form of the German verb verändern. It is the Präteritum (simple past) form used with plural subjects, i.e., with wir, sie, or the formal Sie. In singular forms the corresponding past tense is veränderte. The verb ändern means to change or to alter, and verändern adds the sense of making a modification or transformation. The prefix ver- is common in German verbs and often conveys a sense of completion, intensification, or resulting state.

Verändern is a transitive verb, typically taking a direct object: jemand verändert etwas. Veränderten thus denotes a completed change carried out in the past, expressed for plural subjects. The past participle of verändern is verändert, which forms perfect tenses with haben: sie haben etwas verändert.

Common related forms include Veränderung (change or modification), Veränderungen (changes), and Veränderungsprozess (transformation or change process). The adjective verändert means changed or altered and can describe a noun, as in veränderte Umstände (changed circumstances).

Usage notes: veränderten is frequent in narrative, journalistic, and formal prose when describing past changes affecting multiple entities. It should not be confused with verändert, the past participle used in perfect tenses (Sie hat das Design verändert) or with Veränderung, the noun for an instance of change.

See also: Veränderung, Änderung, Veränderungen, Veränderungsprozess. These terms cover related concepts of modification, alteration, and transformation in German, helping distinguish between the act of changing and the result of that change.