unterschriebene

Unterschriebene is a German word form derived from the verb unterschreiben, meaning to sign. As the past participle unterschrieben, it is used attributively as an adjective to denote that something has been signed. In everyday and formal language, it commonly describes documents, forms, or agreements that carry a signature, for example: das unterschriebene Dokument, die unterschriebene Unterschrift.

Grammatically, unterschriebene functions as an attributive adjective and agrees with the noun it modifies in gender, number, and case. With a definite article, it takes the standard endings: der unterschriebene Vertrag, die unterschriebene Unterschrift, das unterschriebene Dokument. In plural with a definite article, the form becomes unterschriebenen (die unterschriebenen Verträge). Without a definite article, or with possessive determiners, the endings follow the strong or mixed declension patterns, producing forms such as ein unterschriebenes Dokument or unterschriebene Unterlagen.

Usage and nuance: unterschriebene is used to indicate that the signing action has occurred and is a status characteristic of the noun. It is distinct from the past participle in other grammatical roles; while unterschrieben appears in finite tenses (e.g., es wurde unterschrieben), unterschriebene is specifically the adjectival, attributive form.

Notes: Although primarily an adjective, the term is not typically capitalized as a proper noun in standard prose. In legal or bureaucratic contexts, you will frequently encounter phrases like „unterschriebene Unterlagen“ or „das unterschriebene Formular“ to signal that the required signatures are present.