Beschäftigtem

Beschäftigtem is a grammatical form in the German language. It is the dative singular form of the noun Beschäftigter, which denotes an employed person. The word is used in contexts where a noun referring to an employee appears in the dative case, for example after a dative preposition or a dative verb. In standard written German, the same meaning is typically expressed with the definite article: dem Beschäftigten.

The base noun and related forms

- Nominative: der Beschäftigte (masculine), die Beschäftigte (feminine), die Beschäftigten (plural)

- Genitive: des Beschäftigten (masculine), der Beschäftigten (feminine/plural)

- Dative: dem Beschäftigten (masculine/neutral), der Beschäftigten (feminine), den Beschäftigten (plural)

- Accusative: den Beschäftigten (masculine/neutral), die Beschäftigte (feminine), die Beschäftigten (plural)

The form Beschäftigtem specifically corresponds to the dative singular masculine/neuter form when the article is omitted (less common in modern standard prose) or appears in certain condensed or index-like contexts. In everyday usage, you will usually encounter the phrase with an article: dem Beschäftigten or einem Beschäftigten.

Etymology and usage

The noun Beschäftigter derives from beschäftigen, meaning to employ or occupy. It is commonly used in labor, administration, and HR contexts to refer to a person who has paid work. When referring to a group, Beschäftigte (plural) is used, and when referring to a single female worker, die Beschäftigte is used.

Notes

Beschäftigtem is not a separate lexical item; it is a case-inflected form of Beschäftigter. The term can be confused with the other noun forms, especially in gendered or plural contexts, but remains part of the standard declension of the word.