[PDF] Participles - Introduction & Info

Can participles be adjectives in German?

Even a verb's present participle can be used as an adjective. This form of the verb is similar in meaning to English "ing"-forms, and is formed in German by adding a "d" (and an adjective ending, if necessary) to the infinitive form of the verb.

What does Das Partizip II mean?

Das Partizip II (ppast participle) is the third form of the verb. Generally, we form German past participles with the prefix ge- and the endings -t or -en. The past participle ending depends on the type of verb: If the verb stem ends in -d/-t, we add an extra - et to regular and mixed verbs.

What are Partizip II verbs?

When used as an adjective, the Partizip II forms of verbs show that the noun is already in a certain state of being because of the action the Partizip II represents. Now let’s take a look at some mixed examples to see these words in action.

How do you construct the present participle in German?

In German the present participle is constructed by adding a "d" to the infinitive (or more appropriately: adding "end" to the stem, but since the infinitive already adds the "en", we just need to add a "d"): In German the present participle is never used alone.