Bisherige

Bisherige is a German attributive adjective meaning “previous” or “so far,” used to describe something that exists or has occurred up to the present moment. It signals a status, state, or set of facts as established before now, often in contrast to what may follow.

Usage and inflection: As an attributive adjective, bisherige changes its ending depending on gender, number, and case. Common forms include der bisherige Plan, die bisherige Vorgehensweise, die bisherigen Ergebnisse, and das bisherige Verfahren. When no article is present, the adjective takes strong endings, for example bisherige Ergebnisse. The term is frequent in formal, technical, and journalistic contexts, and it can appear before nouns in both singular and plural forms to emphasize the current or prior state.

Predicative use is less common; typically, entweder adverbial phrases such as “bisher” are used to convey the idea of ongoing or up-to-now status. The adjective itself primarily operates in attributive position.

Etymology and related terms: Bisherige is formed from the adverb bisher with the adjectival suffix -ige, yielding a descriptive term that relates to what has existed until now. Related words include bisher (adverb: so far) and the noun-like uses that arise from pre-nominal adjective phrases such as der bisherige Stand.

In usage, sich auf die bisherige Situation beziehen is a standard way to refer to what has been established or observed up to the present, with attention to how future developments might change the situation. See also: bisher, bisherige Ergebnisse, bisheriger Stand.