gestohlenem

Gestohlenem is the dative singular masculine or neuter form of the German past participle "gestohlen". "Gestohlen" itself is the past participle of the verb "stehlen", which means "to steal". Therefore, "gestohlenem" translates to "stolen" in English when used in a specific grammatical context.

The dative case in German is used to indicate the indirect object of a verb or preposition. When "gestohlenem" appears in a sentence, it typically modifies a masculine or neuter noun that is functioning as an indirect object. For example, in the sentence "Er gab dem Mann das gestohlene Buch" (He gave the man the stolen book), "gestohlene" is in the dative singular neuter form, agreeing with "Buch" (book), which is the indirect object. The article "dem" also indicates the dative case.

The meaning of "gestohlenem" is always that of something that has been unlawfully taken. This applies regardless of the gender or number of the noun it modifies, though the ending of "gestohlenem" will change to agree with the noun's case, gender, and number. Understanding its grammatical function as a dative adjective derived from the past participle of "stehlen" is key to correctly interpreting its meaning in a German sentence.