Reserviert

Reserviert is a German adjective and the past participle of the verb reservieren, meaning that something has been booked or saved for a particular person or purpose. As an adjective it describes a person who is cautious or restrained in social interactions, or a thing that has been set aside or allocated. In everyday language it is commonly used with furniture, seats, or appointments, for example: Ich habe einen Tisch reserviert, Der Tisch ist reserviert. It can also describe a person’s manner, as in Er wirkt reserviert, meaning he appears reserved or distant.

The verb reservieren derives from the Latin reservare, through the French réserver and the German borrowing adopted into early modern German. The verb is regular in its conjugation in the present tense (ich reserviere, du reservierst, er reserviert) and forms its past participle as reserviert, used with haben (ich habe reserviert). There is no ge-prefix in its past participle, as reservieren is not a separable-prefix verb.

In usage, reserviert commonly appears on signage and in hospitality contexts to indicate that a table or seat has been reserved for someone. The related noun is Reservierung (the act of reserving or a reservation). The term also functions in social descriptions, with reserviert describing a person who is cautious or reticent, distinct from terms like schüchtern or zurückhaltend depending on nuance.}}