wachtte

Wachtte is the past tense form of the Dutch verb wachten, meaning to wait. It is the imperfect (simple past) form used with singular subjects in standard Dutch. The corresponding plural past tense is wachtten, and the past participle is gewacht.

Conjugation and usage: Examples of the imperfect tense include ik wachtte, jij wachtte, hij/zij wachtte; wij wachtten, jullie wachtten, zij wachtten. Wachtte is commonly found in written narrative and formal speech. In everyday spoken Dutch, many speakers prefer the present perfect (hebben gewacht, hebben gewacht) to express past waiting, especially in casual conversation.

Pronunciation and spelling: Wachtte is pronounced with a velar fricative ch, as in wach-, and a final -te. The initial w is a labiodental approximant, and the ending -te carries a short, unstressed schwa-like vowel: roughly meaning “WAKH-tuh.”

Etymology and related forms: Wachten derives from the Dutch and Germanic word family related to staying, remaining, or keeping watch. It is etymologically linked to cognate terms in related Germanic languages; in English, the root is related to watch. The past participle gewacht and forms like wachten (to wait) share the same root.

See also: wachten, verwachting, wachtdienst.

Examples:

- Gisteren wachtte hij op de bus.

- Ze wachtte een uur voordat de trein vertrok.

- Wij wachtten op antwoord gedurende de hele middag.