gemeinsamen

Gemeinsam is a German adjective meaning joint, shared, or common. The form gemeinsamen is one declined form of this adjective and appears when it directly precedes a noun that is declined in certain cases, most notably in the dative and in plural with a definite determiner. In practice, gemeinsamen is common in phrases describing collective actions or characteristics.

Examples illustrate its use. mit gemeinsamen Zielen means with shared goals (dative plural). dem gemeinsamen Projekt means to the joint project (dative singular neuter). der gemeinsamen Idee means the shared idea (dative feminine). die gemeinsamen Ziele means the joint goals (nominative plural with a definite article). These contexts show why the ending -en is characteristic in the declined form gemeinsamen.

Etymology traces gemeinsam back to the adjective gemein, meaning common, with the suffix -sam forming an adjective meaning “having the quality of being common or together.” The compound originated in Middle High German and has continued into modern German, where it also appears in adverbial form as gemeinsam without a trailing ending.

Usage notes: gemein’s basic function is as an attributive adjective; as an adverb, the form does not change (er arbeitet gemeinsam mit ihnen). Like other German adjectives, gemeinsamen is lowercase unless it begins a sentence or appears in a context that requires capitalization, such as a stand-alone title or quotation.

See also: gemein, Gemeinsamkeit, Gemeinschaft.