Nachfrages

Nachfrages is a term that may appear in some German-language economic texts as a non-standard reference to the demand side of markets. The standard noun for this concept is Nachfrage, with the plural Nachfragen, while the verb nachfragen means to inquire. In economic usage, Nachfrage denotes the quantity of goods or services that buyers are willing and able to purchase at given prices over a specific period.

In microeconomics, Nachfrage is analyzed at the level of individual consumers or firms and at the market level when the demands of many buyers are aggregated. A demand schedule shows the relationship between the price of a good and the quantity demanded, and the demand curve graphically represents this relationship, typically showing a downward slope: higher prices tend to reduce quantity demanded, all else equal (the law of demand). Shifts of the demand curve occur when non-price factors change overall willingness or ability to buy, while movements along the curve reflect price changes.

Determinants of demand include income, prices of substitutes and complements, consumer expectations, the number of buyers, and tastes or preferences. Elasticity measures how responsive demand is to changes in price, income, or prices of related goods. In macroeconomics, Gesamtnachfrage (aggregate demand) captures the total demand for a country’s goods and services, influenced by components such as consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports, and is a key channel for monetary and fiscal policy.