Hergehendes

Hergehendes is a rarely used German term formed from the prefix her- (toward) and the verb gehen (to go) with the present participle suffix -endes. In this construction it can function as an adjective or as a noun phrase referring to something that is approaching or imminent within a discourse. The form is uncommon in everyday language and mainly appears in historical, philosophical, or literary texts.

Usage is largely literary or scholarly. It may indicate phenomena, actions, or events that are about to unfold for the speaker or within the narrated situation. Because its meaning overlaps with more common terms such as das Bevorstehende or das Kommende, its appearance signals stylistic nuance rather than a separate semantic category.

Grammatical notes: When used attributively, the participial form can appear as hergehendes or be capitalized as a noun such as das Hergehende. In contemporary German the more ordinary equivalents prevail, so the form remains rare and is mainly of interest in linguistic discussion or in analyses of older texts.

See also: Bevorstehendes, zukünftig; German morphology; prefix be-, her-.