überschaubar

Überschaubar is a German adjective describing something that is easy to grasp or survey because its scope or amount is limited. It implies that the subject can be overseen or understood at a glance without requiring extensive effort.

Etymology and nuance: The word is formed from über- meaning over or across and schaubar, from schauen to look, with the suffix -bar meaning capable of. Thus überschaubar literally conveys something that is able to be seen over or surveyed, i.e., manageable to comprehend.

Usage: The term is commonly applied to budgets, plans, projects, lists, or amounts. Examples include ein überschaubares Budget, ein überschaubarer Umfang des Vorhabens, eine überschaubare Anzahl von Aufgaben, or ein überschaubares Gelände. It signals that the scope is not overwhelming and can be dealt with without disproportionate effort.

Grammar and related forms: As an attributive adjective, it declines like other weak adjectives: ein überschaubares Budget, eine überschaubare Aufgabe, der überschaubare Aufwand. Predicatively it can be used: Der Aufwand ist überschaubar. The noun form is Überschaubarkeit, referring to the property of being manageable or overlookable. Related terms include übersichtlich (clear and well-ordered) and unüberschaubar (too large or complex to grasp).

See also: Überschreibung of terms connected to clarity and manageability, such as Übersichts- and Übersichtslichkeit, can provide additional context for similar concepts in German.