wählten

Wählten is a form of the German verb wählen, used in the Präteritum (simple past) with plural subjects. It corresponds to English forms such as "they chose" and, in contexts with the formal pronoun Sie, "you chose." In everyday spoken German, the Perfekt (haben gewählt) is often preferred over the Präteritum.

The verb wählen means to choose or to elect, and wählten appears in past-tense narratives or reports. Examples: "Die Gruppen wählten einen Sprecher" (The groups chose a spokesperson) or "Sie wählten ihren Kandidaten." Because wählten is a past-tense form, it is typically found in written texts, news reports, or formal narration.

Etymologically, wählen is related to a family of German words centered on choosing and elections. The related noun Wahl denotes a choice or election, and Wähler or Wählerstimme refer to voters or votes. These forms reflect the same semantic core of selecting from alternatives and making a decision.

In spelling and pronunciation, wählten features the stem wähl- with the umlaut ä in the underlying vowel, plus the standard Präteritum plural ending -ten. For learners, it is useful to recognize that other persons and numbers use different Präteritum endings (e.g., ich wählte, du wähltest, wir wählten, ihr wähltet, sie wählten).

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