Gehörende

gehörende is a German form whose exact meaning and usage depend on capitalization and grammatical role. It is not a widely established standalone entry in standard dictionaries, but it can appear in two related ways in German texts.

As a participle adjective, gehörend derives from the verb gehören (to belong). The present participle difficultly serves in attributive position before a noun, producing forms like gehörende Teile or gehörende Unterlagen in older or stylistic writing, where the sense is “belonging to” or “pertaining to.” In modern style, however, speakers often prefer clearer expressions such as zugehörige Teile (associated/belonging parts) rather than using gehörende.

As a noun, capitalized forms such as Gehörende or Hörende are used in some contexts to refer to people with hearing, i.e., hearing individuals, typically in sociolinguistic or Deaf studies to contrast with people who are deaf (Gehörlose). In contemporary usage, Hörende is the more common spelling for the plural noun, while Gehörende as a noun is less typical but may appear in some texts. In such discussions, the term is generally part of a broader terminology separating hearing people from Deaf communities.

Etymologically, gehörende builds on Gehör (hearing) with the participial suffix -ende, or on gehören (to belong) when treated as an adjective. In practice, the meaning is not fixed in standard German and the expression is comparatively rare; authors usually choose more precise alternatives depending on whether they mean belonging/pertaining to or the status of being able to hear.

See also: Gehör, Gehörlosigkeit, Gehörlose, Hörende, Zugehörigkeit.