Afgaande

Afgaande is a Dutch present participle derived from the verb afgaan. In contemporary usage it can function as an adjective or an adverb and its meaning varies with the context. The term is most often encountered in formal or bureaucratic language.

One common use is in the sense of "based on" or "on the basis of," usually in the prepositional phrase afgaande op or afgaande aan. For example, afgaande op de cijfers means "based on the figures." This construction is a standard way to indicate that a conclusion or statement follows from some evidence or data.

Another usage relates to time and periods that have already passed. In formal or statistical writing, afgaande can appear in phrases such as afgaande maand or afgaande periode to denote the preceding month or period. In everyday Dutch these contrasts are more typically expressed with afgelopen or verstreken, so afgaande has a more specialized or formal tone.

Afgaande is also encountered in fixed expressions related to prior information or prior steps in reasoning, again often in official reports or analyses. The word shares its roots with other forms of afgaan (to go off, to occur, to diminish), but in common practice its most distinctive uses are the basis-on-criteria sense and the reference to a past period.

Etymology and clarity: afgaande comes from the prefix af- plus gaan, conveying notions of departure, reduction, or progression toward a conclusion or earlier time. While widely understood in Dutch, its use is more limited in everyday speech and can come across as formal. In general writing, publishers often substitute aflopende, afgenomen, or afgelopen/afgelopentijd for clarity in informal contexts.