menschlichen

Menschlichen is an inflected form of the German adjective menschlich, meaning human or humane. It is not a standalone noun; rather, it appears in various declined forms to agree with the noun it modifies and with the grammatical case, number, and gender of that noun.

Etymology and meaning

The adjective menschlich is derived from Mensch (human being) with the suffix -lich, meaning “like, relating to.” In German, menschlich can describe something characteristic of humans (human nature, human actions) or something humane, compassionate, or kind. The form menschlichen is one of the many inflections used in different syntactic contexts.

Usage and examples

Menschlich is commonly used to discuss attributes of humans or humanity, and it can also convey a sense of kindness or compassion in behavior. Examples include:

- menschliche Eigenschaften (human characteristics)

- menschliche Natur (human nature)

- humane or humane-like sense, as in menschliches Verhalten (humane behavior)

The inflected form menschlichen appears in several common constructions:

- Die menschlichen Fähigkeiten (the human abilities) with a definite article, where -en is the ending.

- mit den menschlichen Bedürfnissen (with the human needs), dative plural.

- der menschlichen Gesellschaft (of the human society), genitive singular feminine or in similar contexts.

Grammatical notes

As with other German adjectives, menschlich takes different endings depending on whether an article or determiner is present. Without an article, the strong endings vary by case and gender; with a definite article or der-word, the endings follow the weak pattern and often end in -en in many plural and feminine/genitive contexts.

See also

Menschlichkeit (humanness, humanity) and menschlich vs. human.