Partizipien als Adjektive

Learning objectives

1. Partizip I: active or ongoing meaning

Partizip I is commonly formed with infinitive + d: lachend, arbeitend, steigend. Used as an adjective, it often describes an action in progress or an active relation: “die lachenden Kinder”, “ein steigender Preis”.

Like other attributive adjectives, participles take adjective endings based on article, case, gender and number: “mit den lachenden Kindern”.

2. Partizip II: completed or passive meaning

Partizip II can describe a completed result or a passive-like property: “die geschlossene Tür”, “der reparierte Computer”, “die gelöste Aufgabe”. The exact meaning depends on the verb and context.

Partizip II adjectives also take adjective endings when placed before a noun: “ein gut geschriebener Bericht”, “mit dem reparierten Gerät”.

3. Expand clauses into participial phrases

A relative clause can sometimes be condensed into a participial phrase: “die Dokumente, die unterschrieben wurden” → “die unterschriebenen Dokumente”. “Die Kinder, die lachen” → “die lachenden Kinder”.

Only condense when the meaning remains clear and the resulting phrase is grammatical. Participial phrases can make formal writing compact but may become difficult if too long.

4. Endings matter

The participle before a noun behaves like an adjective and takes an ending. Compare: “ein steigender Preis”, “der steigende Preis”, “mit einem steigenden Preis”. Check the article, case and noun before choosing the ending.

Model examples and close reading

Read the German sentence first, identify the target structure, then compare the English meaning and note the reason for the form.

Practice exercises

Write a complete German answer in each field. The checker compares your answer with a model solution and ignores differences in capitalisation and extra spaces. Alternative wording may be correct even if it is not recognised automatically; compare it with the model and explanation.

Study tip: after checking, cover the model and write the sentence again from memory. Then create one new example of your own.

Knowledge check: interactive quiz

Choose one answer for each question, then select “Check quiz” to see your score and explanations.

Independent production task

Self-assessment checklist

• I can explain the purpose of this structure in my own words.
• I can recognise it in a written German text.
• I can form at least three original examples.
• I checked word order, case, endings and punctuation.
• I can correct at least one common error.

Related German learning resources

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