løbende

Løbende is a Danish word that functions as both a present participle of the verb løbe (to run) and as an adjective meaning ongoing or in progress. It is written løbende with the Danish letters ø and is not capitalized unless it appears at the beginning of a sentence.

As an adjective, løbende is commonly placed before a noun to indicate that something is current or continuing over time. Examples include løbende projekter (ongoing projects), løbende omkostninger (ongoing or recurring costs), and løbende arbejde (work in progress). The sense is temporal and progressive, emphasizing status rather than completion.

As a present participle, løbende describes something or someone in the act of running or, more broadly, processes that are characterized by running. In contemporary Danish, the adjectival use is far more common for indicating ongoing status, while the participle form is encountered mainly in more descriptive or literary contexts.

Usage notes and related terms: løbende is often preferred in administrative or journalistic language to signal that something is not yet finished. It is related to other -ende participles in Danish, such as gående (going) and spisende (eating). For near-synonyms of ongoing, Danish speakers may use igangværende or vedvarende depending on nuance.

Origin and morphology: løbende derives from the verb løbe combined with the present-participle suffix -ende, following the same pattern as other Danish present participles. It shares its semantic field with current, continuous, and progressive states in Danish.