Erworbenen

Erworbenen is the inflected form of the German past participle erworben, used as an adjective meaning acquired or gained through effort, training, or experience. The term is commonly employed to describe knowledge, skills, qualifications, or rights that are not innate but result from learning or practice. In everyday language, phrases like erworbene Kenntnisse or erworbene Fähigkeiten are widespread.

As an attributive adjective, erworben is declined like other adjectives in German. The form erworbenen appears in the plural when the noun is preceded by a definite article or another determiner with weak declension, for example die erworbenen Fähigkeiten or den erworbenen Kenntnissen. In other grammatical contexts, the endings differ: with no determiner in the plural the strong declension yields erworbene Kenntnisse, while in singular forms the endings are erworbenes (neut.), erwerbener (masc.), or erworbene (fem.). The precise ending depends on case, number, and the presence of an article.

Common collocations include erworbene Kenntnisse (acquired knowledge), erworbene Fähigkeiten (acquired skills), and erworbene Qualifikationen (acquired qualifications). The term is often contrasted with angeborene or natürliche Fähigkeiten, which denote innate abilities.

Usage notes: erworben emphasizes that the attribute is the result of learning, training, or experience rather than natural endowment. It appears in academic, professional, and legal contexts, including descriptions of competencies, credentials, and rights obtained through study, work, or formal processes. The related noun Erwerben and the noun der Erwerb refer to the act or process of acquiring.