beißen bite → der Biss bite
→ bissig biting, vicious
binden bind, tie → das Band ribbon, bond
→ das Bündnis alliance
schwingen swing → der Schwung swing, impetus
→ schwungvoll spirited
compounding
der Staub saugen dust suck → der Staubsauger vacuum cleaner der Rat das Haus council house → das Rathaus town hall
hell blau light blue → hellblau light blue
die Brust schwimmen breast swim → brustschwimmen do breast-stroke
11.2 The formation of nouns
PREFIXESused to form nouns usually narrow down the meaning of the root noun in some way:
Many other ‘augmentative’ prefixes are common in colloquial German, indicating that some-thing is huge, enormous or important, often excessively so, e.g.Affengeschwindigkeit, Bombengeschäft,Heidenlärm,Höllendurst,Mordsapparat,Spitzenbelastung,Superhit, Teufelskerl,Topmanager.
SUFFIXEScommonly used to form nouns are almost always linked to a particular GENDER
(see 2.2–2.4):
170 Word formation
Erz- arch-, out and out der Feind →→ der Erzfeind arch enemy
Fehl- opposite or negative die Kalkulation →→ die Fehlkalkulation miscalculation Ge- … -(-e) from nouns: collectives der Berg →→ das Gebirgemountain range
(vowel change) der Stern →→ das Gestirn stars, constellation (of stars) Ge- … -(-e) from verbs: repeated action schwätzen→→ das Geschwätz chattering, drivel Grund- basic, essential die Tendenz →→ die Grundtendenz basic tendency Haupt- main der Bahnhof →→ der Hauptbahnhof main station Miss- opposite or negative der Brauch →→ der Missbrauch misuse
Mit- co-, fellow- der Reisende →→ der Mitreisende fellow traveller Nicht- non- der Raucher →→ der Nichtraucher non-smoker Riesen- augmentative (huge) der Erfolg →→ der Riesenerfolg huge success Schein- not real, imaginary der Erfolg →→ der Scheinerfolg illusory success Un- opposite, abnormal der Mensch →→ der Unmensch inhuman person Ur- original die Sprache →→ die Ursprache original language
-chen, -lein (Umlaut) diminutives from die Stadt →→ das Städtchenlittle town neuter nouns das Buch →→ das Büchleinlittle book -e (Umlaut) abstract nouns from groß →→ die Größesize
feminine adjectives lang →→ die Längelength -e action or instrument absagen→→ die Absagerefusal
feminine from verbs bremsen→→ die Bremsebrake -ei place where der Bäcker→→ die Bäckereibakery
feminine something is done Bücher (pl.)→→ die Büchereilibrary
-erei annoying repeated schreien→→ die Schreiereiconstant screaming feminine action, from verbs angeben→→ die Angebereiexcessive boasting
Many nouns can be formed from VERBS(especially strong verbs) without a suffix, but often with a vowel change like that in the past tense of strong verbs. They usually express the process or result of the action. Almost all these nouns are MASCULINE:
The INFINITIVEof almost any verb can be used as a noun. These are always NEUTERand simply refer to the action of the verb, often corresponding to the English -ing form used as a noun:
These infinitival nouns are often compounded: das Zeitunglesen ‘reading the newspaper’, das Schlafengehen ‘going to bed’.
Present and past PARTICIPLES, and many other ADJECTIVES, can be used as nouns. They have the endings of adjectives (see also 4.3).
PRESENT PARTICIPLESused as nouns indicate a person actually carrying out the action of the verb:
11.2 The formation of nouns 171 -er person performing fahren→→ der Fahrerdriver
masculine an action, from verbs lehren→→ der Lehrerteacher -heit/-(ig)keit abstract nouns from gesund→→ die Gesundheithealth
feminine adjectives genau→→ die Genauigkeitprecision -in (Umlaut) feminine person/ der Lehrer→→ die Lehrerinfemale teacher
feminine animal, from nouns der Hund→→ die Hündinbitch
-schaft abstract or collective der Freund→→ die Freundschaftfriendship feminine nouns, from nouns der Graf→→ die Grafschaftcounty
-tum collective nouns der Bürger→→ das Bürgertummiddle classes neuter or categories der König→→ das Königtummonarchy -ung nouns from verbs bedeuten→→ die Bedeutungmeaning
feminine denoting the action landen→→ die Landunglanding
ausgehen → der Ausgangexit schließen → der Schluss close brechen → der Bruch break schneiden → der Schnitt cut ersetzen → der Ersatz replacement stechen → der Stich stab, sting
das Bellendes Hundes the barking of the dog
die Kunst des Schreibens the art of writing
nach langem Warten after waiting a long time
der/die Reisende the person travelling
der/die Lesende the person reading
der/die Schlafende the person sleeping
PAST PARTICIPLESused as nouns indicate persons who have done something or had something done to them, or things which have been done:
11.3 Compound nouns
The ease with which compound nouns can be formed is a characteristic of German, and the use of compounds has increased over the last hundred years, so that even complex words like Fahrpreisermäßigung (fare reduction) or Autobahnraststätte (motorway service station/ restau-rant) are in everyday use.
Almost any part of speech can combine with a NOUNto form a compound. Compounds always have the GENDERof the last element:
Many noun noun compounds need a linking element:
There are no fixed rules as to when you use one of these linking elements and you need to learn the link with each word.
Although German forms compound nouns very readily, you need to be aware that you cannot simply put any two words together.
A compound always indicates a type of something, so Krankenhaus is a type of Haus, and Schreibtisch a type of Tisch. But a compound like *Blauhimmel for ‘blue sky’ is not possible, because it is not a type of Himmel – it simply describes the sky, so you have to use the adjective with the noun as in English: der blaue Himmel.
In particular, ADJECTIVE NOUNcompounds are quite restricted and tend to have special meanings which are not just the sum of their parts. In this way, eine Großstadt is something 172 Word formation
der/die Zugezogene new resident
der/die Verlobte fiancé(e)
das Vereinbarte something agreed
noun noun das Haar die Bürste → die Haarbürste hairbrush adjective noun edel der Stein → derEdelsteinjewel numeral noun drei der Fuß → derDreifuß tripod
verb noun hören der Saal → derHörsaal lecture theatre preposition noun unter die Tasse → dieUntertasse saucer adverb noun jetzt die Zeit → die Jetztzeitpresent day
-e- das Pferd der Stall → der Pferdestall stable -(e)s- das Kalb das Leder → das Kalbsleder calf leather
-(e)n- die Scheibe der Wischer → der Scheibenwischer windscreen wiper -er- das Kind der Garten → der Kindergarten kindergarten
more than simply eine große Stadt (officially, a city with more than 100 000 inhabitants) and ein Junggeselle ‘bachelor’ is not necessarily jung.
11.4 The formation of adjectives
The following SUFFIXESare commonly used to form adjectives. Many of them have multiple meanings:
11.4 The formation of adjectives 173
-bar adjectives from verbs with the brauchen→ brauchbarusable sense of English -able, -ible essen→ essbaredible -en/-ern adjectives from nouns showing das Gold→ goldengolden (-ern Umlaut) what something is made of das Holz→ hölzernwooden -haft adjectives from nouns for persons der Held→ heldenhaftheroic
indicating a quality (like a …) der Meister→ meisterhaftmasterly -ig adjectives from nouns indicating das Eis→ eisigicy
a quality (like a …) das Haar → haarighairy -ig adjectives from adverbs dort→ dortigof/from there
heute→ heutigof today
-ig adjectives from time nouns drei Tage→ dreitägiglasting three days (Umlaut) indicating duration
-isch adjectives from proper names Europa→ europäischEuropean (usu. Umlaut) and geographical names Sachsen→ sächsischSaxon -isch adjectives from nouns indicating das Kind→ kindischchildish, puerile
a quality (often pejorative) der Wähler→ wählerischchoosy -isch adjectives from foreign nouns die Biologie→ biologischbiological
die Mode→ modischfashionable -lich adjectives from nouns indicating der Arzt→ ärztlichmedical (often Umlaut) a quality or a relationship der Tod→ tödlichfatal -lich adjectives from time nouns der Tag→ täglichdaily (often Umlaut) indicating frequency die Stunde→ stündlichhourly -lich adjectives from verbs indicating bestechen→ bestechlichcorruptible (often Umlaut) ability, like -able, -ible, cf.-bar verkaufen→ verkäuflichsaleable -lich adjectives from adjectives klein→ kleinlichpetty
(often Umlaut) indicating a lesser degree rot→ rötlichreddish -los adjectives from nouns indicating das Leben→ lebloslifeless
a lack of something der Geschmack→ geschmacklos tasteless
-mäßig adjectives from nouns in respect der Plan→ planmäßigaccording to plan of / in accordance with der Verkehr→ verkehrsmäßigrelating
to traffic
Many adjectives in modern German are built up with SUFFIXES which were originally words in their own right, but are now suffixed to a large number of nouns, and new ones are being created regularly:
Two common PREFIXESare used to form adjectives:
A number of PREFIXESused with adjectives, especially in colloquial German, have an intensi-fying meaning:
174 Word formation
„Ich finde deine Geschenkverpackung geschmacklos!“
having sth. rücksichtsvoll charakterstark erlebnisreich considerate of firm character eventful
lacking sth. fettarm alkoholfrei gedankenleer
low-fat non-alcoholic lacking in ideas
protected from sth. hitzefest kugelsicher waschecht
heatproof bulletproof washable, true-blue
similar to sth. ringförmig lederartig maskenartig
circular, ringlike leathery mask-like
capable of sth. strapazierfähig hard-wearing
worth(y) of sth. nachahmenswürdig lesenswert worthy of imitation worth reading needing sth. korrekturbedürftig
requiring correction
un- opposite (like English reif → unreif unripe un-, im-, etc.) möglich → unmöglich impossible ur- intensifying meaning alt → uralt very old
erzreaktionär ultra-reactionary grundehrlich thoroughly honest hochintelligent highly intelligent supercool really cool höchstbegabt extremely talented affengeil brilliant
11.5 Inseparable verb prefixes
Verbs can be formed from nouns or adjectives or other verbs by the INSEPARABLE PREFIXES
be-, ent-/emp-, er-, ge-, miss-, ver-andzer-.
These prefixes are unstressed and always remain attached to the ROOT.
The PAST PARTICIPLESof these verbs do not add ge-.
In INFINITIVE CLAUSES(see 10.6), zu comes before the verb:
Most of these prefixes have a number of possible meanings. The verbs formed in this way can in turn form nouns, adjectives, adverbs and other verbs, e.g. verstehen – Verstand – Verständnis – ver-ständig – verver-ständigen – verständnisvoll.
Be-
Makes intransitive verbs TRANSITIVE. The dative object or prepositional object of the root verb becomes the accusative object of the verb with be-:Makes verbs from nouns with the idea of providing with something. The vowel may have Umlaut, and the suffix -ig- is sometimes added:
Makes verbs from adjectives with the idea of endowing something with that quality. The suf-fix -ig- is sometimes added: