freien

Freien is the inflected form of the German adjective frei. It is not a standalone lexical item with its own entry in modern German usage, but rather a declined form used before a noun in plural or in phrases that require a determiner. As an attributive adjective, frei is declined according to the noun’s case, gender, and number. In plural with a definite determiner, the form is fre i en: for example, die freien Tage (the free days) and die freien Bürgerinnen und Bürger (the free citizens).

In predicative position, the form differs and typically uses frei when no determiner is present (die Tage sind frei). With prepositions that govern the dative or where a determiner is present, you can also encounter the form freien in plural phrases such as zu freien Zeiten or mit den freien Tagen. In unfixed contexts (no determiner), the attributive plural is usually freie (e.g., freie Tage). The word also occurs in common phrases like frei sein or frei von, where the adjective governs the noun or is used in a fixed expression.

Etymology and meaning: frei originates from Old High German frī, from Proto-Germanic *frī, cognate with the English word free. The meaning in modern German remains “free,” “not constrained,” or “available.”

Other uses: As a capitalized form Freien, the string can appear as a proper noun in surnames or place names, though such uses are uncommon and not standardized.

See also: frei, freedom, liberation.