erforderliche

Erforderliche is the attributive form of the German adjective erforderlich, meaning necessary or required. It is used to describe nouns and is common in formal, administrative, legal, and technical contexts, as well as in everyday language when indicating what must be provided or met.

Etymology and meaning: derived from the verb erfordern, meaning to require or necessitate, with the suffix -lich to form the adjectival base erforderlich. The word denotes something that is needed to achieve a goal, comply with rules, or fulfill conditions.

Usage and grammar: erforderlich is declined like a standard adjective. After a definite article or other determiner, the endings align with weak declension: der erforderliche Aufwand, die erforderliche Genehmigung, das erforderliche Maß, die erforderlichen Unterlagen. In the plural, the ending becomes -en: die erforderlichen Unterlagen. In the dative and genitive, forms adjust accordingly (dem erforderlichen Aufwand, der erforderlichen Genehmigung, etc.). When no determiner is present, strong endings may occur: erforderliche Unterlagen, notwendige Schritte. The noun form das Erforderliche also exists as a nominalized usage meaning “that which is necessary” or “the required elements.”

Synonyms and register: ersetzendes Synonym ist notwendig, notwending oder geboten, with nuance differences. Erforderlich tends to be more formal and prescriptive, common in official documents, instructions, and compliance contexts.

Related terms: Erforderlichkeit refers to the quality or state of being necessary; erfordern is the root verb. The concept overlaps with but is distinct from notwendig, nötig, or verpflichtet, depending on context.