ungenügende

Ungenügend is an adjective in the German language meaning not sufficient or not adequate to meet a required standard. It describes quality, performance, evidence, or resources that fail to satisfy criteria. The term is used in everyday language as well as in technical or formal contexts, and in English translations it is often rendered as insfitif, inadequate, or unsatisfactory.

In education and evaluation, ungenügend commonly denotes a failing assessment or result. In the typical German grading scale (1 to 6), a grade of 6 is labeled ungenügend. The word can appear before a noun or after a linking verb: for example, “eine ungenügende Leistung” (a failing performance) or “Das Ergebnis ist ungenügend.” In plural, one can speak of “ungenügende Leistungen” or, less commonly, of “die Ungenügenden” as a nominalized form referring to people or things judged unsatisfactory.

Grammar and usage notes: Ungenügend inflects like a regular adjective. It takes appropriate endings depending on gender, number, and article. Examples include “eine ungenügende Leistung” (feminine singular), “ein ungenügendes Ergebnis” (neuter singular), and “die ungenügenden Leistungen” (plural). Predicative use (after a verb) and attributive use (before a noun) are both standard.

Etymology and related terms: The word derives from genügen (“to suffice”) with the negating prefix un-, forming the meaning “not sufficient.” Related terms include genügend (sufficient) and mangelhaft (faulty or deficient) as contrasting descriptors.