Folgende

Folgende is a German word that functions as a determiner and, in some contexts, as a pronoun, meaning “the following” or “the ones listed below.” It is commonly used to introduce items, points, or statements that follow in a text, such as in instructions, reports, emails, or legal documents.

Grammatically, folg­ende derives from the verb folgen (to follow) and is declined like a typical attributive adjective when it appears before a noun. In singular form after the definite article, you have der folgende Mann, die folgende Dame, das folgende Kind. In plural after die, you get die folgenden Punkte. The endings follow the standard weak declension pattern: singular endings -e, plural ending -en. The phrase im Folgenden means “in the following text” or “hereafter.”

Folgende can also function as a nominalized or predicative element, effectively acting as a pronoun: Folgende sind betroffen, or Im Folgenden sind die wichtigsten Punkte aufgeführt. In this usage, it may be capitalized as a noun to emphasize the items being referred to, especially at the beginning of a sentence or as a heading.

Other expressions with a similar meaning include nachstehend, which is more formal, and im Folgenden, used to introduce subsequent discussion. Folgende is a concise, widely used term in German for directing attention to what comes next, and it appears across formal and informal writing.