erschwert

Erschwert is the participle form of the German verb erschweren. It is used as a predicative or attributive adjective and describes something that has been made more difficult, heavier, or more burdensome, often by external factors or complications. In standard usage it appears in sentences such as Die Situation wurde erschwert or Die Bedingungen sind erschwert.

Etymology and formation: erschweren is derived from schwer (heavy) with the prefix er-, which in German commonly marks a change of state or the beginning of a process. The past participle erschwert can function as an adjective, for example in erschwerte Bedingungen, while the present participle erschwerend is used to describe factors that actively add to the difficulty, as in erschwerend wirkende Umstände.

Usage and nuances: Erschwert is frequent in journalism, law, economics, and science to indicate increased difficulty or burden. It typically marks a completed change of state (the conditions have been made more difficult). Distinctions can be drawn to erschwerend (the factors that complicate a situation) and erschweren (the verb meaning “to make more difficult”). Examples include Die Genehmigung wurde durch neue Auflagen erschwert and Die Reisebedingungen wurden durch Stau erschwert.

Grammatical notes: As an adjective, erschwert agrees with the noun (erschwerte Bedingungen, erschwertes Verfahren). In predicative use it often appears with sein/werden: Die Prüfung wird erschwert. The related noun form Erschwerung is rare but exists for the act or process of making something harder.

See also: erschweren, erschwerend, erschwerende Umstände.