betreffende

Betreffende is a German attributive adjective derived from the verb betreffen, meaning "concerning" or "relating to." It is used to reference a subject, document, or person that has already been mentioned or is contextually relevant. In everyday and formal writing, the phrase helps to specify what is being discussed.

As an adjective, betreffend agrees with the noun it modifies in gender, number, and case. For example, the feminine singular and neuter singular forms often appear as betreffende: die betreffende Person (the person in question), das betreffende Schreiben (the letter in question). With definite articles, the masculine form is der betreffende Mann (the man in question). When the noun is plural, or when there is no article, the endings change according to standard German adjective declension, yielding forms such as die betreffenden Personen (the people in question) or betroffene Person (feminine singular without article).

Betreffend is commonly used in legal, administrative, and formal contexts to introduce or refer to the subject of a document or a specific item: In dem betreffenden Schreiben werden die Details erläutert. It is often synonymous with bezüglich or in Bezug auf, though betreffen has a slightly more precise sense of scope or relevance to a matter.

The word Betroffene, capitalized as a noun, exists as a related but distinct term meaning “the affected people” or “the persons concerned.” It is used without the adjectival form and appears in phrases like Die Betroffenen klagten, referring to the individuals affected by a decision or event.

In summary, betreffend functions as a flexible, formal way to indicate relevance or relation, with its exact form varying by case, gender, and number.