freuen
Translation
were happy, were pleased, looked forward to
Examples
Die Kinder freuten sich über den Schnee.
The children were happy about the snow.
Wir freuten uns auf das Konzert.
We were looking forward to the concert.
Grammar Patterns
sich ((über+4)) freuen to be happy about (sth.) The children were happy about the snow.
sich ((auf+4)) freuen to look forward to (sth.) We were looking forward to the concert.
Similar Words
Synonyms: genossen (enjoyed), sich amüsierten (enjoyed themselves); Antonyms: ärgerten sich (were annoyed)
Etymology
This is the simple past (Präteritum) form of the verb 'freuen', from 'Freude' (joy).
Memory Tips
'freuten' is the past tense, often used in written stories or formal speech. The '-ten' ending is a typical sign of the simple past for plural subjects.