feststellt

Feststellt is the third-person singular present tense form of the German verb feststellen, meaning to determine, ascertain, or establish something. In a sentence, it answers who determines a fact: Der Bericht stellt fest, dass die Produktion gestiegen ist. The infinitive is feststellen and the past participle is festgestellt; in perfect tense the verb is used with the auxiliary haben: Er hat festgestellt.

Grammatical note: feststellen is a separable prefix verb. In main clauses, the finite form appears as er stellt fest; in subordinate clauses or with modal verbs the prefix remains attached in certain tenses, but in the present tense it is commonly separated. The construction is typical in formal, administrative, scientific, legal, and journalistic writing, where a statement of fact is attributed to a source or analysis.

Usage and nuance: festzustellen is used when reporting a finding, measurement, or conclusion. It often appears in phrases like eine Feststellung treffen (to make a finding) or festzustellen sein (to be ascertainable). In legal contexts, courts and prosecutors frequently use festzustellen to present determinations derived from evidence. In scientific writing, researchers state observed results with a formulation such as Die Ergebnisse stellen fest, dass... to convey determined conclusions.

Common synonyms and related expressions include feststellen, ermitteln, nachweisen, and feststellen lassen. The word carries a formal tone and signals an objective conclusion rather than a subjective opinion.