Nominalization of verbs in German

In German, we come across the verb essen and the noun Das Essen, which look identical because the noun das Essen is itself derived from the verb essen. Beyond this, there are many nouns derived from verbs. In today's article, we will explore this topic together.

- When can a verb be nominalized? When the infinitive is preceded by:

1. An article: Das Montieren macht ihm Spaß.(He enjoys assembling.)

2. A preposition: Im Tanzen finde ich Erfüllung. (I find fulfillment in dancing.)

3. A possessive pronoun/indefinite pronoun/demonstrative pronoun: Dein Warten hat sich gelohnt. (Your waiting was worthwhile.)

4. An adjective: Lautes Lachen mag er nicht. (He doesn't like loud laughter.)

5. Durch or ohne: Erfolg durch Lernen. (Success through learning.)

Erfolg ohne Lernen. (Success without learning.)

- Ways to turn a verb into a noun:

1. Infinitive + article „das"

kochen – das Kochen

schwimmen – das Schwimmen

1. Infinitive minus the ending -en + article „der"

laufen – der Lauf

schlafen – der Schlaf

schreien – der Schrei

1. Infinitive minus the ending -en + suffix: -ung, -nis, -ion, -e, -er

kündigen – die Kündigung

erlauben – die Erlaubnis

informieren – die Information

!!! Tipp: The ending of the noun indicates which article will be used:

„-ung" – article „die"

„-er" – article „der"