initial
Occurring at the beginning or relating to the start of a development, process, or phase.
EXAMPLE
Die initiale Behandlung zeigte bereits eine deutliche Wirkung.
The initial treatment already showed a clear effect.
initial
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry initial, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Comparison
| basic form | initial |
|---|
After der, die, das
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to initial.
After ein, eine
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to initial.
Without article
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| dat. | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| gen. | -en | -er | -en | -er |
Add the ending to initial.
Usage tips
Formal style
'Initial' (initial) is mainly used in formal, specialist, and scientific language. The adjective is particularly common in medical, technical, and scientific texts.
EXAMPLE
Die initiale Untersuchung dauerte etwa dreißig Minuten.
The initial examination took about thirty minutes.
Typical collocations
Common collocations include 'initiale Behandlung' (initial treatment), 'initiale Diagnose' (initial diagnosis), and 'initiale Reaktion' (initial reaction). These combinations usually refer to the first step in a professional procedure or the first observed reaction.
EXAMPLE
Nach der initialen Diagnose wurde ein weiterer Test durchgeführt.
After the initial diagnosis, another test was carried out.
Start of a process
'Initial' (initial) is often used with words for phases, conditions, or values in a process. Typical examples include 'initiale Phase' (initial phase), 'initiale Bedingungen' (initial conditions), and 'initiale Kosten' (initial costs).
EXAMPLE
Die initialen Kosten des Projekts waren höher als erwartet.
The initial costs of the project were higher than expected.
In real life
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