Teilnehmenden

Teilnehmenden is a gender-inclusive German noun used to refer to people who take part in an event, activity, study, or program. It functions as the plural form of the participle noun derived from das Verb teilnehmen and is commonly used as an inclusive alternative to the traditional terms Teilnehmer or Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer. The construction reflects a broader effort in modern German to address gender diversity in collective references.

Morphology and usage notes: Teilnehmende (singular) corresponds to a participant of any gender, while Teilnehmenden (plural) denotes the group of participants. In sentences without an article, the nominative and accusative plural is typically die Teilnehmenden. The dative plural is den Teilnehmenden, and the genitive plural der Teilnehmenden. In the singular, masculine and feminine forms are der Teilnehmende and die Teilnehmende, respectively. In many contexts, especially in institutional or academic writing, Teilnehmende is valued for its inclusivity and may be preferred over gender-specific pairings.

Contexts and applications: The term appears in reports, event programs, forms, and study documentation. It is used when describing groups of individuals participating in conferences, workshops, surveys, courses, or programs. Compared with older terminology, Teilnehmende emphasizes equal participation across gender identities and is aligned with language guidance that favors inclusive forms.

See also: Teilnahme, Teilnehmender, Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer, Studie, Veranstaltung.