offensteht

Offenstehen is a German verb describing a state of being open or unresolved. It covers both physical openness (a door or window that remains open) and figurative openness (a situation that is not yet decided, or opportunities that are still available). In standard usage, the verb is written as offenstehen, and in sentences the form is built from stehen with offen used predicatively: Die Tür steht offen; Das Angebot steht offen; Die Verhandlungen stehen noch offen. The past tense forms are typically expressed with a simple past such as stand open: Die Tür stand offen. The perfect is formed with haben and the past participle: Das Angebot hat offen gestanden.

Etymology and grammar: offenstehen combines offen (open) with stehen (to stand) to express a position or status that is not closed or settled. It is generally not treated as a separable prefix verb in modern German; the common present construction uses stehen in its finite form and offen as an adjective-like element. The verb can be used impersonally or in clauses, for example: Es steht noch offen, wie die Entscheidung ausfallen wird.

Usage and nuances: The expression is used for physical openness yes, but more often for figurative openness or pending decisions. Examples include: eine Tür steht offen, ein Angebot steht offen, Fragen stehen offen. The participle adjective form offenstehend can appear in attributive position (offenstehende Fragen) or as a noun form das Offenstehen, referring to the state of being open or unresolved, often in formal or policy contexts.

Related terms: off en (open), offenbart (revealed) is unrelated; Offenheit (openness) is a related noun. Overall, offenstehen and its variants are common tools for describing things that are not yet decided or not yet closed.