Questions & Answers about Ich erlebte damals viel.
How is erlebte formed in the simple past tense here?
Erleben (to experience) is a regular or weak verb. To form the simple past (Präteritum), you take the stem erleb-, add the past tense marker -t-, and then the ending for ich, which is -e. This gives you erlebte.
Does the inseparable prefix er- change how the simple past is formed?
No, the prefix doesn't change the verb's endings. Because er- is an inseparable prefix, it just stays firmly attached to the front of the verb in the simple past tense. You still just add the regular -te ending to the stem.
When would I use erlebte instead of the spoken past tense, habe erlebt?
The simple past (Präteritum) is mostly used in written German, formal reports, or when telling a narrative story. While you would likely say Ich habe damals viel erlebt in an everyday conversation, Ich erlebte... fits perfectly in a diary entry, an article, or a novel.
Why does the word damals come before viel in this sentence?
Viel (a lot) acts as the direct object here, while damals (back then) is an adverb of time. In German, time words typically come as close to the conjugated verb as possible, which means they usually appear before the direct object.