Funktionierenden

Funktionierenden is the declined present participle form of the German verb funktionieren, meaning to function or operate. It functions as an adjective or participial modifier describing something that is currently in working order. The base noun related to the concept is Funktion, but funktionierenden itself is not a separate word with its own independent meaning; it is a grammatical form used to describe state.

In usage, funktionierenden is common in technical, engineering, and everyday contexts to indicate operability. Examples include phrases such as das funktionierende System (the functioning system) or mit funktionierenden Geräten (with functioning devices). The form can appear in various cases and numbers: das funktionierende System (nominative neuter singular); die funktionierenden Systeme (nominative plural); mit funktionierenden Geräten (dative plural); der funktionierenden Geräte (genitive plural).

Morphological note: functionally, funktionierenden is the attributive form used when the participle is declined to agree with a noun in gender, case, and number. The corresponding base form ohne ending is funktionierend; in singular neuter you typically see das funktionierende System, while in plural you use die funktionierenden Systeme. In constructions where the phrase is not attributive, the participle may retain different endings or appear in a passive or perfective expression.

Related concepts include Funktionsfähigkeit (functional capability), Funktionsweise (mode of operation), and the adjective forms of other -ieren verbs. The term contrasts with phrases like nicht funktionsfähig (not functioning) and verweist on the current operability rather than potential or defective states.