Ausstehend

Ausstehend is a German adjective meaning not yet resolved, completed, or fulfilled. It is used to describe items, tasks, or amounts that remain pending or unpaid. In everyday language it can refer to pending issues, while in business and administration it frequently denotes financial or contractual elements that have not yet been settled.

In finance and accounting, ausstehend describes money or documents that are outstanding, such as ausstehende Forderungen (outstanding receivables), ausstehende Zahlungen (outstanding payments), or ausstehende Rechnungen (unpaid invoices). In project management and logistics, the term describes tasks, deliveries, or obligations that have not yet been completed, e.g., ausstehende Aufgaben, eine ausstehende Lieferung.

Grammatically, ausstehend functions as an attributive adjective and can also be used predicatively. Declension examples: ein ausstehender Betrag (masc.), eine ausstehende Forderung (fem.), ein ausstehendes Problem (neut.), die ausstehenden Rechnungen (plural). When used predicatively after verbs like sein, bleiben, or wirken, it can appear as: Die Rechnung ist ausstehend.

Etymology and usage note: aus- is a prefix meaning “out” or “upward/outward,” while stehen stems from “to stand.” The combination conveys something that stands outside completion or resolution. In German, ausstehend is often preferred in formal or administrative contexts, while in everyday speech offene or noch offen are common synonyms for pending items.

Translations: in English, ausstehend is typically rendered as outstanding or pending, depending on context. Related terms include offen (open) and unbeantwortet (unanswered) in specific situations.