Ausstehender

Ausstehender is a German adjective meaning pending, outstanding, or unresolved. It describes something that has not yet been settled, completed, or paid, and it is commonly used in contexts such as finance, administration, and project management. The term derives from the verb ausstehen, which conveys the sense that a payment, obligation, or task remains to be addressed.

Grammar and usage: ausstehender is the attributive form used before masculine singular nouns, as in der ausstehende Betrag (correct form: der ausstehende Betrag). In the feminine, neuter, and plural forms you would say die ausstehende Rechnung, das ausstehende Problem, die ausstehenden Forderungen. In predicative position, the adjective can appear as ausstehend, as in Der Betrag ist ausstehend. The choice of ending follows standard German adjective declension rules.

Common applications: In accounting and finance, ausstehende Forderungen or ausstehende Rechnungen refer to amounts or invoices that have not yet been paid. In project or operations contexts, ausstehende Aufgaben or ausstehende Verpflichtungen denote tasks or obligations that remain to be completed. The term is often contrasted with offen, though both can describe unresolved items; ausstehend emphasizes that something is due or waiting to be settled.

Nuances: Ausstehend conveys a status of only pending or awaiting resolution, whereas offen can describe a broader set of unresolved or not yet closed items. The word is widely used across German-speaking regions in formal and informal language to mark items that require action or reconciliation.

See also: open, pending, outstanding, offenen Forderungen.