Getrennten

Getrennten is an inflected form of the German past participle getrennt, used as an adjective or attributive participle to describe something that has been separated. The base form getrennt comes from the verb trennen (to separate). When used attributively, the participle is declined like an ordinary adjective, with endings determined by the article (or determiner), gender, number, and case of the noun it modifies.

Common inflection patterns involve the ending -en in many definite-article contexts. For example: den getrennten Mann (masculine singular accusative with a definite article), die getrennten Eltern (plural nominative with a definite article), mit den getrennten Kindern (dative plural with a definite article), der getrennten Eltern (genitive plural). In the singular feminine, you would find der getrennten Frau (genitive) or eine getrennte Frau (nominative, feminine singular with no article). In plural without a determiner, you often see getrennte with the plural noun, as in getrennte Räume or getrennte Familien.

In predicate use, the past participle remains getrennt (not getrennten), as in Sie sind getrennt, meaning “they are separated.” The form getrennten chiefly appears in attributive position after determiners or in strong declension contexts, and it can also appear in various case endings for plural forms or after different determiners.

Usage notes: getrennte/ getrenn-ten forms convey the nuance of a state resulting from separation, rather than a process ongoing at the moment. The term is common in descriptions of relationships, organizational units, or physical divisions, e.g., getrennte Eltern, getrennte Abteilungen, or getrennte Systeme.

See also: trennen, getrennt.