Present Participle as an Adjective
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Learn to express ongoing, simultaneous actions with the German Partizip I before a noun. Practise formation, adjective endings, and shortening relative clauses.
Explanation
Form and meaning
The German Partizip I describes an active action happening at the same time:
Vor dem Café wartet ein telefonierender Mann.
Form it with infinitive + d: lachen → lachend, arbeiten → arbeitend, lächeln → lächelnd.
Before a noun
Before a noun, Partizip I behaves like an adjective and takes an adjective ending:
| Pattern | Example |
|---|
| der + nominative | der wartende Gast |
| ein + masculine nominative | ein wartender Gast |
| eine + feminine nominative | eine wartende Frau |
| ein + neuter nominative | ein spielendes Kind |
| plural | die wartenden Gäste |
| dative plural | mit wartenden Gästen |
The ending depends on article, case, gender, and number, just like any attributive adjective.
Shortening a relative clause
A relative clause describing an active simultaneous action can often be shortened:
Die Frau, die am Fenster liest, → die am Fenster lesende Frau
Complements stay before the participle: der leise sprechende Nachbar.
Important limit
Partizip I is used attributively before a noun. For a normal ongoing action, say Der Mann wartet, not Der Mann ist wartend. Some forms have become ordinary adjectives, such as spannend, anstrengend, and dringend.
Exercises
- Turn the relative clause into a noun phrase with Partizip I. Write the complete expression. (11)
- Match each relative clause with the corresponding Partizip I phrase. (10)
- Form Partizip I and add the correct adjective ending. (11)
- Insert the correct Partizip I forms from the word bank into the connected text. (3)
B1 · German · Grammar