gekühlten

Gekühlten is the attributive, declined form of the German past participle gekühlt, used as an adjective to describe items that have been cooled or refrigerated. It is common in contexts such as food and beverages, packaging, labeling, and logistics to indicate that something is kept at a low temperature.

Grammar and usage notes: As an attributive adjective following a definite article or other determiner, gekühlten shows the weak inflection. This form appears in plural, for example die gekühlten Getränke (nominative or accusative plural), den gekühlten Getränken (dative plural), and der gekühlten Getränke (genitive plural). When no determiner is present, the strong or mixed inflection is used, producing forms like gekühlte Getränke or gekühlte Speisen.

Common contexts and examples:

- Die gekühlten Getränke stehen im Regal.

- Ich habe die gekühlten Getränke in den Kühlschrank gestellt.

- Der Zustand der gekühlten Getränke ist gut.

Difference from related forms: gekühlten is specifically the plural, attributive form after a determiner; the predicative form is typically gekühlt (Die Getränke sind gekühlt). The uninflected form gekühlte appears when no determiner is present, as in gekühlte Speisen. Etymology traces back to the verb kühlen with the standard German past participle prefix ge- and the typical adjective endings.

See also: refrigeration, food labeling, temperature-controlled logistics.