Simple past 'durfte' (was allowed to, from dürfen)

durfte is the simple past (Präteritum) of the modal verb dürfen ("to be allowed to / may"). As with all modals, German uses the Präteritum as the everyday past form.

The umlaut disappears: dürfen → durfte. Regular endings:

• ich/er/sie/es durfte, du durftest, wir/sie durften, ihr durftet

The main verb is an infinitive at the end.

Examples:

• Ich durfte nicht mitkommen. - I wasn't allowed to come along.
• Als Kind durfte ich spät aufbleiben. - As a child I was allowed to stay up late.
• Wir durften das Museum fotografieren. - We were allowed to photograph the museum.

Common mistakes: Drop the umlaut: durfte, not dürfte (the polite Konjunktiv II). Watch the negative meaning: durfte nicht means "was not allowed to" (a prohibition), which is different from musste nicht ("did not have to"). Don't mix these two up.

'durfte' is the simple past (Präteritum) of 'dürfen' - was allowed to.

Präteritum of 'dürfen' (no umlaut); the infinitive stays at the end.

'durfte' ist das Präteritum von 'dürfen'.