letzteren

Letzteren is a German adjective form meaning “the latter” or “the last-mentioned,” used primarily in historical, legal, and literary language to distinguish one of two or more items. It represents a declined form of the base adjective letzer/letzte and appears with definite determiners or demonstratives in various cases and numbers. Common occurrences include phrases such as “im letzteren Fall” (in the latter case) and the plural determinations “die letzteren Beispiele” (the latter examples).

Usage and decline: In singular use after a definite article, the form often appears as part of the weak inflection pattern, for example in the phrase “im letzteren Fall.” In plural, it appears as “die letzteren” in nominative or accusative positions and as “den letzteren” in certain dative constructions, e.g., “in den letzteren Fällen.” The exact ending reflects standard German declension after a definite determiner.

Historical and present use: Letzteren is most commonly encountered in Early New High German through the 19th century and in formal or legal writing, as well as in literature that aims for a classical or precise register. In contemporary, everyday German, speakers typically use the simpler “letzten” in many contexts, with “letzteren” appearing mainly when reproducing historical text, preserving a stylistic or dialectal flavor, or in formal quotations.

See also: letzter, letzte, letztes.