In German, we often encounter nouns, adjectives, and verbs that have similar structures. In today's article, we will explore adjectives derived from nouns and how these adjectives are formed.
In German, we often encounter nouns, adjectives, and verbs with similar structures. In today's article, we will explore adjectives derived from nouns and how these adjectives are formed.
To form an adjective from a noun, we simply add a suffix to the noun.
1. Suffix -ig
- A few one-syllable adjectives require an Umlaut
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die Farbe – farbig (colored)
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die Sonne – sonnig (sunny)
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der Schmutz – schmutzig (dirty)
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die Kraft – kräftig (strong)
2. Suffix -lich
- With the suffix -lich, we use it when talking about the frequency of something or someone's property. For words with only one syllable containing a, o, u, an Umlaut must be added.
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der Tag ⇒ täglich ⇒ jeden Tag (every day)
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der Monat ⇒ monatlich ⇒ jeden Monat (every month)
3. Suffix -isch
Applied to nouns denoting nationality, except for nouns ending in -e or -er
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der Spanier – spanisch (Spanish person)
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der Russe – russisch (Russian person)
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der Japaner – japanisch (Japanese person)
Other cases:
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Europa – europäisch (European)
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der Neid – neidisch (envious)
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das Kind – kindisch (childish)
4. Suffix -haft
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der Traum – traumhaft (dreamlike)
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der Fehler – fehlerhaft (faulty)
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die Sage – sagenhaft (incredible, unbelievable)
5. Suffix -los
- With the suffix -los, the adjective expresses that something does not exist. In some cases, an s must be added before the suffix -los.- die Arbeit – arbeitslos (ohne Arbeit - unemployed)
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der Sinn – sinnlos (ohne Sinn - meaningless)
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der Erfolg – erfolglos (ohne Erfolg - unsuccessful)
6. Suffix -sam
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die Arbeit – arbeitsam (hardworking)
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die Gewalt – gewaltsam (violent)
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die Mühe – mühsam (requiring much effort, difficult)
7. Suffix -bar
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das Wunder – wunderbar (wonderful)
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die Furcht – furchtbar (terrible)
8. Suffix -al
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die Nation – national (national)
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die Emotion – emotional (emotional)
9. Suffix -arm
- The suffix -arm indicates that there is very little of something.
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Fett - fettarm (low fat)
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Kalorie - kalorienarm (low calorie)
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Vitamin - vitaminarm (poor in vitamins)
10. Suffix -frei
- The suffix -frei indicates that something does not contain something.
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Fett - fettfrei (fat-free)
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Zucker - zuckerfrei (sugar-free)
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Fehler - fehlerfrei (error-free)
11. Suffix -reich
- The suffix -reich indicates that there is a lot of something.
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Erfolg - erfolgreich (full of success)
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Vitamine - vitaminreich (rich in vitamins)
Knowledge test
How to transform nouns into adjectives
- 1.
Ich gebe dir den Rat, gut für die Prüfung zu lernen.
- 2.
Das ist kein Witz!