nervöses

Nervöses is the neuter singular inflected form of the German adjective nervös, used to describe a neuter noun without a definite determiner. It conveys the quality or state of being nervous and appears in everyday language as well as in technical contexts, for example in psychology or physiology.

In German, nervös is declined to match the gender, number, and case of the noun it modifies. With no article (strong inflection), neuter nominative and accusative forms are nervöses, as in nervöses Verhalten (nervous behavior) or nervöses Auftreten (nervous appearance). When a definite article is used, the form changes to nervöse, as in das nervöse Verhalten. With an indefinite article, the form nervöses appears as in ein nervöses Verhalten. These endings help indicate whether the noun is being described in a general sense or as a specific referent.

Common usage includes phrases such as nervöses Verhalten, nervöses Auftreten, or nervöses System (the latter can occur in descriptive or metaphorical language but is less conventional in everyday speech). The term functions primarily as a descriptive modifier rather than as a standalone concept; it is typically translated into English as “nervous” or “nervous-looking” depending on context.

Etymology traces nervöses to the German adjective nervös, itself derived from the same root as nervus and related to the concept of nerves or tension. Related terms include Nervosität (nervousness), nervös (nervous), and Nervensystem (nervous system).