Participles Used as Adjectives
In German, participles (Partizipien) can function as adjectives when they describe a noun. This includes:
Present participles (Partizip I) → Expressing an ongoing action
Past participles (Partizip II) → Expressing a completed action or passive meaning
Understanding how and when to use participles as adjectives improves fluency and allows for more complex sentence structures.
Present Participles as Adjectives (Partizip I)
What Is Partizip I?
- The present participle (Partizip I) is formed by adding -d to the infinitive form of a verb.
- It describes something that is currently happening or ongoing (similar to “-ing” forms in English).
Formation:
Infinitive verb + -d → Present participle
Verb (Infinitive) | Present Participle |
lachen (to laugh) | lachend (laughing) |
schlafen (to sleep) | schlafend (sleeping) |
arbeiten (to work) | arbeitend (working) |
brennen (to burn) | brennend (burning) |
Usage of Partizip I as an Adjective
- Like normal adjectives, participles decline according to gender, case, and number.
- They describe an ongoing action related to the noun.
Examples:
Sentence | Explanation |
Der lachende Junge spielt im Garten. (The laughing boy is playing in the garden.) | „Lachend“ describes the boy who is currently laughing. |
Eine schlafende Katze liegt auf dem Sofa. (A sleeping cat is lying on the sofa.) | „Schlafend“ describes a cat that is currently sleeping. |
Ich höre ein singendes Mädchen. (I hear a singing girl.) | „Singend“ describes a girl who is currently singing. |
Der arbeitende Mann trinkt Kaffee. (The working man is drinking coffee.) | „Arbeitend“ describes a man who is currently working. |
Die spielenden Kinder sind laut. (The playing children are loud.) | „Spielend“ describes children who are currently playing. |
Ein weinendes Baby braucht seine Mutter. (A crying baby needs its mother.) | „Weinend“ describes a baby that is crying. |
Der bellende Hund steht vor dem Haus. (The barking dog is standing in front of the house.) | „Bellend“ describes a dog that is barking. |
Die lernenden Studenten sitzen in der Bibliothek. (The studying students are sitting in the library.) | „Lernend“ describes students who are currently studying. |
Der lesende Mann sitzt im Park. (The reading man is sitting in the park.) | „Lesend“ describes a man who is reading. |
Eine tanzende Frau steht auf der Bühne. (A dancing woman is standing on the stage.) | „Tanzend“ describes a woman who is dancing. |
Die arbeitenden Menschen warten auf den Bus. (The working people are waiting for the bus.) | „Arbeitend“ describes people who are currently working. |
Ein fahrendes Auto hält vor dem Haus. (A driving car stops in front of the house.) | „Fahrend“ describes a car that is moving. |
Declension of Partizip I as an Adjective
Partizip I adjectives follow the usual strong, weak, and mixed adjective declension rules.
Examples in Different Cases:
Case | Examples |
Nominative | Der lachende Mann spricht mit mir. (The laughing man speaks with me.) |
Accusative | Ich sehe einen lachenden Mann. (I see a laughing man.) |
Dative | Er hilft einem lachenden Mann. (He helps a laughing man.) |
Genitive | Die Stimme eines lachenden Mannes. (The voice of a laughing man.) |
Case | Examples |
Nominative | Das schlafende Kind liegt im Bett. (The sleeping child lies in bed.) |
Accusative | Ich sehe ein schlafendes Kind. (I see a sleeping child.) |
Dative | Die Mutter hilft einem schlafenden Kind. (The mother helps a sleeping child.) |
Genitive | Das Zimmer eines schlafenden Kindes ist ruhig. (The room of a sleeping child is quiet.) |
Case | Examples |
Nominative | Die spielenden Kinder sind laut. (The playing children are loud.) |
Accusative | Ich sehe die spielenden Kinder. (I see the playing children.) |
Dative | Der Lehrer hilft den spielenden Kindern. (The teacher helps the playing children.) |
Genitive | Das Lachen der spielenden Kinder ist laut. (The laughter of the playing children is loud.) |
Case | Examples |
Nominative | Die singende Frau steht auf der Bühne. (The singing woman stands on the stage.) |
Accusative | Ich höre eine singende Frau. (I hear a singing woman.) |
Dative | Ich spreche mit einer singenden Frau. (I speak with a singing woman.) |
Genitive | Die Stimme einer singenden Frau ist schön. (The voice of a singing woman is beautiful.) |
Past Participles as Adjectives (Partizip II)
What Is Partizip II?
- The past participle (Partizip II) is the third principal form of a verb, typically used in perfect and passive constructions.
- When used as an adjective, it describes something that has already happened or is in a passive state.
Formation:
The past participle is formed differently for weak, strong, and mixed verbs:
Verb Type | Infinitive | Past Participle |
Weak | kaufen (to buy) | gekauft (bought) |
Strong | schreiben (to write) | geschrieben (written) |
Mixed | bringen (to bring) | gebracht (brought) |
Usage of Partizip II as an Adjective
- Past participles function as adjectives when describing a noun that has already been acted upon or affected by an action.
- They often translate to English adjectives like”broken,” “closed,” “written”
Examples:
Sentence | Explanation |
Die geschriebene Geschichte ist sehr spannend. (The written story is very exciting.) | „Geschrieben“ describes a story that has already been written. |
Das gekochte Essen schmeckt lecker. (The cooked food tastes delicious.) | „Gekocht“ describes food that has already been cooked. |
Er las einen vergessenen Brief. (He read a forgotten letter.) | „Vergessen“ describes a letter that had already been forgotten. |
Die geschlossene Tür ist sehr alt. (The closed door is very old.) | „Geschlossen“ describes a door that has already been closed. |
Das verlorene Handy wurde gefunden. (The lost phone was found.) | „Verloren“ describes a phone that had been lost. |
Der gebrochene Stuhl liegt auf dem Boden. (The broken chair is lying on the floor.) | „Gebrochen“ describes a chair that has been broken. |
Das geöffnete Fenster lässt frische Luft herein. (The opened window lets fresh air in.) | „Geöffnet“ describes a window that has already been opened. |
Die gekaufte Jacke ist sehr teuer. (The bought jacket is very expensive.) | „Gekauft“ describes a jacket that has already been bought. |
Die gelesene Zeitung liegt auf dem Tisch. (The read newspaper lies on the table.) | „Gelesen“ describes a newspaper that has already been read. |
Der gebaute Turm ist sehr hoch. (The built tower is very tall.) | „Gebaut“ describes a tower that has already been built. |
Das reparierte Auto fährt wieder gut. (The repaired car drives well again.) | „Repariert“ describes a car that has been repaired. |
Die verlorenen Schlüssel wurden gefunden. (The lost keys were found.) | „Verloren“ describes keys that had been lost. |
Declension of Partizip II as an Adjective
Partizip II adjectives follow the same declension patterns as normal adjectives.
Examples in Different Cases
Case | Example Sentence |
Nominative | Die geschriebene Geschichte ist spannend. (The written story is exciting.) |
Accusative | Ich lese eine geschriebene Geschichte. (I read a written story.) |
Dative | Er erzählt von einer geschriebenen Geschichte. (He tells about a written story.) |
Genitive | Der Titel einer geschriebenen Geschichte. (The title of a written story.) |
Case | Example Sentence |
Nominative | Die geschlossene Tür ist alt. (The closed door is old.) |
Accusative | Ich sehe die geschlossene Tür. (I see the closed door.) |
Dative | Er steht vor der geschlossenen Tür. (He stands in front of the closed door.) |
Genitive | Die Farbe der geschlossenen Tür ist dunkel. (The color of the closed door is dark.) |
Case | Example Sentence |
Nominative | Der verlorene Schlüssel liegt auf dem Tisch. (The lost key lies on the table.) |
Accusative | Ich suche den verlorenen Schlüssel. (I am looking for the lost key.) |
Dative | Er hilft dem Mann mit dem verlorenen Schlüssel. (He helps the man with the lost key.) |
Genitive | Die Geschichte des verlorenen Schlüssels ist interessant. (The story of the lost key is interesting.) |
Case | Example Sentence |
Nominative | Das gekochte Essen schmeckt gut. (The cooked food tastes good.) |
Accusative | Ich esse das gekochte Essen. (I eat the cooked food.) |
Dative | Er hilft mit dem gekochten Essen. (He helps with the cooked food.) |
Genitive | Der Geruch des gekochten Essens ist angenehm. (The smell of the cooked food is pleasant.) |
Comparison of Partizip I and Partizip II as Adjectives
Feature | Partizip I (Present Participle) | Partizip II (Past Participle) |
Formation | Verb + -d | Typically with ge- (except for inseparable verbs) |
Meaning | Describes an ongoing action | Describes a completed action or passive state |
Example | Die lachende Frau (The laughing woman) | Die geschriebene E-Mail (The written email) |