TOPIC · Adverbs & particles

Partizip als Adjektiv

After this lesson you can form Partizip I and Partizip II, use them as adjectives before nouns, and choose natural, common participle-adjective combinations.

In German, participles can stand before a noun like adjectives and describe it. They then take normal adjective endings. This lesson shows how Partizip I and Partizip II are formed and used as adjectives.

Partizip I as an adjective

Partizip I expresses an ongoing, not yet finished action. It often corresponds to a relative clause like „das Kind, das spielt“.

Formation of Partizip I

Take the infinitive and add „-end“:

Infinitive	Participle I	Example	Meaning
spielen	spielend	das spielende Kind	the child that is playing
lernen	lernend	die lernende Gruppe	the group that is learning
singen	singend	die singende Frau	the woman who is singing

When the participle stands before a noun, it behaves like an adjective and takes endings:

der spielende Junge (the boy who is playing)
eine laut singende Frau (a woman who is singing loudly)
die schnell lernenden Kinder (the children who learn quickly)

Extended Partizip I phrases

A participle phrase can contain complements and adverbials:

der an der Kasse wartende Mann (the man who is waiting at the checkout)
die in Berlin lebende Familie (the family who lives in Berlin)

Everything that belongs to the verb (prepositional phrases, objects, adverbs) stands to the left of the participle. Only the participle itself gets the adjective ending:

der an der Kasse wartende Mann (not: der an der Kasse wartendende Mann)

Partizip II as an adjective

Partizip II expresses a completed action or its result / a state. It often corresponds to a passive relative clause like „das Buch, das gekauft wurde“.

Formation of Partizip II

Formation depends on the verb (often „ge-“ + stem + „-t“ or „-en“). As an adjective, the form itself stays the same; only the ending changes.

Infinitive	Participle II	Example	Meaning
kaufen	gekauft	das gekaufte Buch	the book that was bought
sehen	gesehen	die gesehene Landschaft	the landscape that was seen / you saw
essen	gegessen	das gegessene Essen	the food that was eaten

More examples with endings:

ein repariertes Auto (a repaired car)
die gestern geschriebene E-Mail (the email written yesterday)
der von allen geliebte Hund (the dog loved by everyone)

Difference: action vs. state

Often Partizip II describes a state, the result of an action:

die geschlossene Tür (the door that is closed)
der verheiratete Mann (the man who is married)

Restrictions and special points

Many Partizip-II forms of „sein“ and „haben“ are normally not used as adjectives (das gewesene Kind is possible but very rare and stylistically marked).
Not every theoretically possible participle as adjective sounds natural. Focus on frequent, common combinations: „interessierte Kunden“ (interested customers), „verwirrte Studenten“ (confused students), „zerbrochene Gläser“ (broken glasses).
Declension is exactly like adjectives:
- der im Park spielende Hund (the dog that is playing in the park)
- mit einem neuen Auto zufriedene Nachbarn (neighbours who are satisfied with a new car)

Practice reading and listening to notice typical participle adjectives in context.