German Grammar Explained /
Adjectives from participles
We have been learning some tricks to quickly expand your vocabulary, like creating adjectives by using specific endings. In this topic, we'll show you how to make adjectives using participles.
Let's quickly recap past participles (called: Partizip II)
- Most past participles have a ge- in the beginning. → gekommen, gesungen, gespielt
- Separable verbs have the -ge- in the middle. → mitgekommen, angefangen, aufgehört
- Verbs with inseparable prefixes don't have a ge at all. → verstanden, verkauft, erkannt
- Verbs that end in -ieren don't have a ge either. → studiert, fotografiert, repariert
You might be wondering: if these are Partizip II, what are the Partizip I?
I wasn't actually, but now I am.
They are the present participles! It's easier than the Partizip II. You just add a "-d" to the infinitive!
Infinitive
| Partizip I
Happening now or generally | Partizip II
Happened in the past |
|---|---|---|
entspannen | entspannend | entspannt |
| → relaxing | → relaxed |
steigen | steigend | gestiegen |
| → rising | → raised |
schockieren | schockierend | schockiert |
| → shocking | → shocked |
Two things are happening at the same time | → | Partizip I |
Der Hund steht vor der Tür und bellt. | → | Der bellende Hund steht vor der Tür. |
One thing happened in the past | → | Partizip II |
Das Auto ist gebraucht. Ich verkaufe das Auto. | → | Ich verkaufe das gebrauchte Auto. |