feststehen

Feststehen is a German verb meaning to be fixed, settled, or decided, often used to indicate that something is certain or established and not open to change. It describes a state or conclusion that has been reached and is regarded as definite, such as a date, plan, fact, or outcome.

Etymology and form: the word is formed from fest, meaning firm or fixed, and stehen, to stand. In use, it typically appears in the present tense as a phrase like Der Termin steht fest (The date is fixed). The construction is commonly treated as separable in forms like steht fest, and the past participle is festgestanden, as in Es hat festgestanden (It has been fixed/established). The simple past can be Es stand fest.

Usage: feststehen is often followed by a dass-clause to express a known certainty, for example: Es steht fest, dass das Treffen am Dienstag stattfindet. It can also describe the current state of plans, schedules, or facts: Der Termin steht seit Wochen fest. The expression implies certainty and contrasts with less definite formulations such as möglicherweise oder vielleicht.

Relation to related terms: festlegen means to set or determine something more actively, while sich festlegen means to commit oneself. Feststehen differs from these in that it emphasizes the settled nature or certainty of a fact rather than the act of deciding.

In sum, feststehen denotes that something is fixed, settled, and certain, commonly used for dates, plans, or established facts, and is a standard device to convey certainty in German.