unzureichenden

Unzureichenden is an inflected form of the German adjective unzureichend, meaning “insufficient” or “not adequate.” The base adjective comes from un- (negation) + zureichend (sufficient), and it is used to describe nouns that do not meet a required standard. The form unzureichenden occurs in various grammatical contexts, typically in attributive position before a noun, where the ending depends on number, gender, and case, and on the presence of a determiner.

In everyday and formal German, unzureichend describes inadequacy in a range of domains, such as evidence, resources, or justification. Common collocations include unzureichende Beweise (insufficient evidence), unzureichende Ressourcen (insufficient resources), and unzureichende Begründung (insufficient justification). The specific inflected form unzureichenden appears in several cases:

- masculine accusative singular after a determiner: den unzureichenden Beweis

- plural after a determiner or in the determiner-less plural with a definite article: die unzureichenden Beweise

- dative plural: mit unzureichenden Beweisen

- genitive plural: unzureichender Beweise

Usage notes and nuances:

- The word is common in legal, academic, and policy writing, where standards and sufficiency of evidence or justification are evaluated.

- In predicate position, the form changes (e.g., Die Beweise sind unzureichend) and does not take the -en ending.

- As with other German adjectives, the exact ending of unzureichend/-en/-es depends on the article or determiner and the noun’s gender, number, and case.

Etymology and related terms:

- unzureichend = insufficient; un- conveys negation, zureichend derives from zu- + reichen (to suffice). Related forms include unzureichende, unzureichendes, unzureichenden, depending on context.

See also: sufficient (zureichend), insufficiency in German legal language.