vorgeben

Vorgeben is a German verb with several related meanings. The most common sense is to pretend or feign something, i.e., to present something as true or as one’s own, often to mislead. It can also mean to claim or assert that one has a certain quality, status, or relationship, as in “Er gibt vor, krank zu sein” (he pretends to be ill) or “Sie gibt vor, Experten zu sein.”

A broader, more technical meaning is to specify, prescribe, or lay down requirements or standards that set the framework for a task or project. In this sense, Vorgaben are guidelines or preset conditions one must follow, for example “Die Firma gibt vor, bestimmte Standards zu erfüllen.”

Grammar and usage: vorgeben is a separable-prefix verb. In the present tense the prefix separates: er gibt vor, sie gibt vor, wir geben vor. The past participle is vorgegeben and is used with haben: “Er hat vorgegeben, krank zu sein.” The simple past is “gab vor.” In subordinate clauses the prefix remains separated, as with other separable verbs.

Common phrases and related terms: the noun form Vorgabe means guideline, specification, or preset value (plural Vorgaben). Related verbs include angeben (to state or declare) and vortäuschen (to feign or pretend, closely related in meaning to vorgeben).

Etymology: vor- (before, in front of) combined with geben (to give) yields vorgeben, originally conveying “to present in advance” and evolving to the senses of pretending or prescribing.