Dauernde

Dauernde is the inflected form of the German adjective dauernd, meaning lasting, enduring, or continuous. It is not a separate concept or noun in standard usage; instead it functions to describe a noun and agrees with its gender, number, and case. The base meaning carries a sense of persistence or continuity over time.

Grammatical notes. Dauernde appears in attributive position before nouns, with endings determined by gender, number, and article. For example:

- Eine dauernde Belastung belastet die Umwelt. (feminine singular, indefinite article)

- Die dauernde Belastung belastet die Umwelt. (feminine singular, definite article)

- Dauernde Belastungen können die Umwelt belasten. (feminine plural, no article)

- Die dauernden Belastungen können die Umwelt belasten. (feminine plural, definite article)

In neuter singular with no article, you can also encounter das dauernde Rauschen; with a definite article, das dauernde Rauschen becomes das dauernde Rauschen entsprechend der Deklination.

Usage and nuance. Dauernde conveys a sense of ongoing or repeated occurrence, similar to “ongoing,” “persistent,” or “continuous” in English. It is commonly used in everyday German prose, as well as in technical or descriptive writing. The adverbial counterpart is dauernd, which describes an action rather than a quality of a noun.

Etymology. The word derives from Dauer (duration) with the adjectival suffix -nd, forming dauernd, whose inflected form dauernde adapts to grammatical context.

See also. Dauer, Dauerhaft, Dauerhaftigkeit, Dauerhaftigkeit.

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