erhaltenen

Erhaltenen is the declined form of the German past participle erhalten when it is used as an attributive adjective, meaning “received” or “obtained.” It is not a stand-alone verb form in typical usage; rather, it accompanies a noun and agrees with the noun’s gender, number, and case.

In attributive position, the participle takes endings according to the weak (definite-article) adjective declension. The form erhaltenen occurs most often with plural nouns (for example, die erhaltenen Dokumente) and in certain singular cases such as dative masculine or neuter (dem erhaltenen Brief) or feminine/genitive (der erhaltenen Information). The exact ending depends on the noun’s case and determiner, but erhaltenen is the common spelling in many plural and several singular forms.

Usage notes: erhaltenen describes items that have already been received or obtained, typically in written or formal contexts. It can be used with a wide range of nouns, including documents, letters, information, and data. It can appear in various sentence positions, always modifying a noun.

Examples:

- Die erhaltenen Briefe wurden heute versandt.

- Ich habe die erhaltenen Unterlagen geprüft.

- Dem erhaltenen Brief muss ich eine Kopie beilegen.

- Der Bericht enthält die erhaltenen Daten.

Relation to andere Formen: the non-attributive past participle erhalten is used in perfect and passive constructions (z. B. Die Briefe sind erhalten) and does not bear attributive adjective endings. The form erhaltenen is specifically an attributive adjective form.

Etymology: derived from the verb erhalten with the German prefix er-, used to express completion or attainment.