mündlichen

Mündlichen is the inflected form of the German adjective mündlich, meaning “oral” or “spoken.” It is used to describe information, procedures, or traditions delivered through speech rather than writing, such as exams, reports, or narratives.

Grammatical notes: In German, adjectives decline according to case, number, gender, and article. The form mündlichen appears in several common contexts, particularly after definite articles and in plural phrases. Examples include: die mündliche Prüfung (nominative singular feminine) and eine mündliche Prüfung (indefinite). In the genitive singular feminine and the dative singular feminine, the form appears as der mündlichen Prüfung. In the nominative plural, die mündlichen Prüfungen; in the genitive plural, der mündlichen Prüfungen; and in the dative plural, den mündlichen Prüfungen. Phrases like mit den mündlichen Prüfungen (with the oral examinations) are also common.

This pattern reflects the weak declension of adjectives after definite articles, where the adjective ending -en is used in plural and in certain singular feminine cases. By contrast, the base form mündlich is used as the predicate or in attributive positions with indefinite articles or without an article (e.g., eine mündliche Prüfung or eine mündliche Auskunft).

Etymology and usage context: mündlich derives from Mund (mouth) with the suffix -lich. The term is widely employed in education and law to contrast oral procedures or assessments with written equivalents. It also appears in discussions of oral tradition (mündliche Überlieferung) and in descriptions of communication practices that rely on spoken rather than written forms.

See also: schriftlich, mündlich in language and education contexts.