Zurückkehrenden

Zurückkehrenden is the declined attributive form of the German participle I zurückkehrend, derived from the verb zurückkehren, meaning to return. It functions primarily as an adjective describing someone or something that is returning, and it can also be used as a noun when capitalized as Die Zurückkehrenden to denote a group of people who are returning.

Etymology and form: terugkehren + end forms the participle, which then inflects like an adjective. After a definite article, the form used in the plural is zurückkehrenden (for example, die zurückkehrenden Soldaten). In singular positions, the attributive form varies with gender and case (der zurückkehrende Mann, die zurückkehrende Frau, das zurückkehrende Kind), while the bare participle is typically used in compound or predicative constructions.

Usage: the term is employed in journalism, history, and social sciences to describe individuals or groups who are in the act of returning from exile, deployment, or a mission. It conveys a descriptive, non-judgmental sense of the action of returning. When used as a noun, Die Zurückkehrenden refers to the people who have returned, and such substantive use is common in reports or narratives about collective experiences.

Examples: Die zurückkehrenden Soldaten wurden mit Ehren empfangen. Der zurückkehrende Pilot landete sicher. In English, the equivalent terms are returning (adjective) and returnees (noun).

Notes: the form zurückkehrenden is specifically the declined plural or feminine/masculine forms in various cases after a determiner or in comparative constructions. The simple English translation varies by context and can be returning, returning ones, or returnees, depending on whether the sense is adjectival or nominal.