Noun Suffixes:
-heit and -keit: used to form a noun from an adjective, like English -ness (politeness, etc.). -heit is the standard form, -keit is used when the adjective has a suffix already on it, such as -lich or -ig. All nouns ending in -heit or -keit are feminine.
beautiful | schön | die Schönheit | beauty |
sick | krank | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
friendly | freundlich | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
safe, secure | ___________________ | die Sicherheit | _______________________ |
difficult | schwierig | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
dark | dunkel | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
healthy | gesund | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
true | ___________________ | die Wahrheit | _______________________ |
active | tätig | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
more | mehr | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
free | frei | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
possible | möglich | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
clear | klar | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
important | wichtig | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
wise | ___________________ | die Weisheit | _______________________ |
masculine | männlich | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
-ung: used to form a noun from a verb, comparable to English -ing or -ion. All nouns ending in -ung are feminine.
to test | prüfen | die Prüfung | testing, test |
to heat | heizen | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
to hurt, injure | ___________________ | die Verletzung | _______________________ |
to apply | bewerben | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
to read aloud | vorlesen | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
to decide | ___________________ | die Entscheidung | _______________________ |
to lead | führen | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
to live, dwell | wohnen | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
to explain | erklären | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
to open | öffnen | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
to pay | ___________________ | die Zahlung | _______________________ |
-schaft: forms a noun from another noun, comparable to English -ship or -hood. Always feminine.
friend | der Freund | die Freundschaft | friendship |
brother | der Bruder | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
member | ___________________ | die Mitgliedschaft | _______________________ |
neighbor | der Nachbar | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
land | das Land | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
father | der Vater | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
-lein and -chen: diminutive suffixes, which make the given nouns seem smaller. Always neuter.
woman | die Frau | das Fräulein | ‘little lady’, miss |
house | ___________________ | das Häuschen | _______________________ |
brother | ___________________ | das Brüderchen | little brother |
maiden | die Magd | ___________________________ | girl |
bird | der Vogel | ___________________________ | _______________________ |
child | ___________________ | das Kindlein | little kid |
Other Noun Forms:
The infinitive forms of verbs can be used as nouns in many cases. We do this in English with the -ing forms of verbs (His writing is excellent, etc.). When used this way, verbs functioning as nouns are always neuter:
das Sprechen das Rennen das Leben das Sehen das Reiten das Schreiben |
Many nouns bear obvious similarities to verbs you already know. There’s no direct pattern to discern here, but see if you can determine what these nouns mean and which verbs they’re related to.
der Stand | stehen | a stand or standing |
der Fall | _________________________ | _______________________ |
der Verdienst | _________________________ | _______________________ |
die Suche | _________________________ | _______________________ |
der Verkauf | _________________________ | a sale |
der Flug | _________________________ | _______________________ |
das Geschenk | _________________________ | _______________________ |
die Rede | _________________________ | _______________________ |
die Tat | _________________________ | a deed or action |
der Sprung | _________________________ | _______________________ |
Verb Formation:
One very common inseparable prefix for German verbs is ver-. Quite often, though not always, verbs with ver- have been formed from an adjective, especially in the comparative form.
beautiful | schön | verschönern | to beautify |
better | besser | verbessern | _______________________ |
long | ___________________ | verlängern | _______________________ |
short | kurz | verkürzern | _______________________ |
big | ___________________ | vergrößern | _______________________ |
small | ___________________ | verkleinern | _______________________ |
Occasionally, the same thing will happen using the prefix er- instead of ver-.
cold | kalt | erkälten | to make/catch cold |
bright | hell | erhellen | _______________________ |
high | ___________________ | erhöhen | _______________________ |
new | ___________________ | erneuern | _______________________ |
Adjective Formation:
-lich: many adjectives are built from nouns (and occasionally verbs) using the suffix -lich. Unlike English, where -ly usually indicates an adverb, in German -lich is always an adjective (or rather, remember that there is no distinction between adjectives and adverbs in German).
friend | der Freund | freundlich | friendly |
human | der Mensch | ___________________ | _______________________ |
to hope | ___________________ | hoffentlich | hopeful(ly) |
festival | ___________________ | festlich | _______________________ |
danger | die Gefahr | gefährlich | _______________________ |
essence | das Wesen | wesentlich | _______________________ |
primary thing | die Hauptsache | hauptsächlich | _______________________ |
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