qualifizierten

Qualifizierten is a declined German form that can serve two main grammatical functions: it is an inflected form of the adjective qualifiziert (meaning qualified or skilled), and it is also the simple past tense form of the verb qualifizieren (to qualify) in the third person plural.

As an attributive or predicative adjective, qualifiziert describes people or things that have the necessary qualifications or skills. In plural with definite articles, the form appears as qualifizierten after the article die, for example: die qualifizierten Bewerber. In singular usage, the endings differ: der qualifizierte Bewerber (nominative singular), den qualifizierten Bewerber (accusative singular), dem qualifizierten Bewerber (dative singular). When the noun is plural but not preceded by a definite article, the strong or mixed endings vary, and qualifizierte or qualifizierten will be used depending on the case and determiner.

As a finite verb form, qualifizierten is the simple past (Präteritum) for the third-person plural: sie qualifizierten, die Firmen qualifizierten die Bewerber. Example: Die Firmen qualifizierten die Bewerber erfolgreich. This use denotes that qualification actions occurred in the past.

Nominalized form: Qualifizierte, with a capital Q, can function as a noun meaning “the qualified ones” (plural). Example: Die Qualifizierten arbeiten in dieser Abteilung.

Etymology: both branches derive from qualifizieren, built on the noun Qualifikation, themselves tracing to late Germanic and Latin roots related to “quality” or “kind.” The form qualifizierten therefore reflects typical German inflection patterns for adjectives and regular verb conjugation.