Vorherigen

Vorherigen is a declined form of the German adjective vorherig, meaning "previous" or "prior." It is used to describe something that comes earlier in time or in a sequence. The word itself is not a noun; it functions as an attributive adjective and takes endings according to German grammar, depending on the gender, number, and case of the noun it modifies, or it appears in fixed phrases with a determiner.

Etymology and sense: vorherig derives from vorher, meaning beforehand, with the typical adjectival suffix -ig. It is common in formal or written language to emphasize the notion of an earlier item, period, or section.

Usage and examples: When used attributively before a noun, vorherig changes form to match the noun’s case and number. Examples include der vorherige Tag (nominative masculine singular), des vorherigen Tages (genitive masculine singular), dem vorherigen Tag (dative masculine singular), den vorherigen Tag (accusative masculine singular). Plural forms appear as die vorherigen Tage (nom), der vorherigen Tage (gen), den vorherigen Tagen (dat), die vorherigen Tage (acc). In phrases such as in den vorherigen Jahren one often encounters the adjective with a definite article, yielding the ending -en.

Declension notes: If the adjective is used with a definite determiner or der-/die-/das- words, endings are typically the weak -en form in plural and certain singular cases, as in den vorherigen Jahren. In contexts without a definite determiner, strong endings are used, such as vorheriger Tag or vorheriges Kapitel.

Related terms: vorher, vorhergehende, vorhergehend, and synonyms like frühere can convey similar meaning, though with slight nuance.

In summary, vorherigen is a common, grammatically inflected form of vorherig, used to denote items or periods that precede others in time or order, and it appears across various cases and numbers in German prose.

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