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 (had fun); Antonyms: ärgerten sich (got angry)
Etymology
The simple past tense (Präteritum) of 'freuen', which comes from 'Freude' (joy).
Memory Tips
This is the storytelling past tense. You'll see 'freuten' when reading about what people were happy about or looked forward to in the past.