Möglichen

Möglichen is the inflected form of the German adjective möglich, meaning “possible.” It is used in attributive position before a noun and agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case. The ending -en occurs in several common contexts, particularly in plural forms or in singular forms when a determiner marks the case and gender (for example, dem möglichen Fehler, der möglichen Lösung, den möglichen Fehlern).

Grammatical use and examples

- Plural with definite article: die möglichen Folgen, die möglichen Ursachen.

- Plural in other determiner contexts: die möglichen Risiken; den möglichen Fehlern; der möglichen Fehler (genitive plural).

- Singular with a determiner that marks case: dem möglichen Fehler, der möglichen Lösung, des möglichen Fehlers.

- In plural without a determiner or with strong declension, you often see die möglichen Fehler or mögliche Lösungen, depending on the exact construction.

Meaning and usage

- möglich describes something that could occur or be true, i.e., it denotes potentiality or feasibility.

- Common collocations include mögliche Ursachen (possible causes), mögliche Folgen (possible consequences), and mögliche Lösungen (possible solutions).

- The adverb form is möglicherweise, meaning “perhaps” or “possibly.” The base adjective möglich and its adverbial derivative share the same root.

Etymology

- möglich derives from the Germanic word family associated with ability and possibility, combining the stem möglich- with the adjectival suffix -lich. It is related to the verb mögen (to be allowed or to like/ might) in its conceptual sense of capability. The word is used widely in contemporary German to express what could be true or achievable in a given context.