wichtigen

Wichtigen is not a separate word in German; it is the inflected form of the adjective wichtig, meaning important or weighty. In German, adjectives are declined to reflect case, number, and gender, so wichtig becomes wichtigen in several contexts when it precedes a noun with a determiner that marks the case.

Common contexts include plural and certain singular forms after a definite determiner. For example, die wichtigen Dinge means the important things (nominative or accusative plural). Den wichtigen Termin shows the adjective in the accusative singular masculine form. Den wichtigen Dingen is the dative plural form, and der wichtigen Dinge is the genitive plural form. In singular masculine nominative, the form is der wichtige Termin (not benuteren); in other singulars the endings differ (die wichtige Sache, das wichtige Thema, etc.). The form wichtigen, therefore, appears most commonly before plural nouns, and before masculine singular nouns in the accusative case.

Grammatical note: wichtige acts as a stem adjective, while wichtigen is a weak inflection following definite articles or similar determiners. The endings help signal case, number, and gender to the listener or reader.

Etymology: wichtig derives from Germanic roots meaning weighty or significant, connected to the concept of weight or importance. The usage shift to “important” is typical in German, where weighty or significant items are described as wichtig.

In modern usage, wichtigen appears frequently in formal writing, journalism, and everyday speech when referring to items, events, or issues deemed important.