geschriebenen

Geschriebenen is the declined form of the German past participle geschrieben, used as an adjective meaning “written.” It does not carry a separate lexical meaning beyond this; its function is to modify a noun and agree with case, gender, and number.

In German grammar, attributive adjectives decline according to the determiner and the case. The form geschriebenen appears most notably in dative singular and in all plural forms when the adjective follows a determiner that marks case and number. Examples with a definite article include:

- Masculine singular: Nominative der geschriebene Brief; Accusative den geschriebenen Brief; Dative dem geschriebenen Brief; Genitive des geschriebenen Briefes.

- Feminine singular: Nominative die geschriebene Nachricht; Dative der geschriebenen Nachricht; Genitive der geschriebenen Nachricht.

- Neuter singular: Nominative das geschriebene Buch; Dative dem geschriebenen Buch; Genitive des geschriebenen Buches.

- Plural: Nominative/Accusative die geschriebenen Briefe; Dative den geschriebenen Briefen; Genitive der geschriebenen Briefe.

If no determiner is present, strong declension yields different endings, for example das geschriebene Buch (neuter nominative/accusative) or die geschriebenen Briefe (plural with a definite article). The form geschriebenen is thus a specific inflected variant of geschrieben used in contexts where the determiner signals case, number, and gender, most commonly in the dative and in plural phrases.

Predicative use, as with many participles, typically does not take an ending: Das Buch ist geschrieben.

Etymology traces back to schreiben, with geschrieben serving as the past participle used as an adjective after appropriate inflection. See also German grammar and participles.