B2 · Adjectives
Participles used as adjectives
der wartende Zug, der verlorene Schlüssel
Both participles can stand in front of a noun — one means it is doing something, the other that it has been done to.
At a glance
- Remember
- -end is an adjective, never a verb.
- Form
- warten -> wartend -> der wartende Zugpresent participle
- Signal words
- -end
- -ende
- ge-
- geöffnet
- wartend
- kommend
- Trap
- Wrong:Der Zug wartend am Gleis.Right:Der Zug wartet am Gleis.
Your turn
5 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
Now write it yourself3 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in German.
| present participle | warten -> wartend -> der wartende Zug |
| past participle | verlieren -> verloren -> der verlorene Schlüssel |
| after sein | Die Tür ist geschlossen. |
| as a noun | die Reisenden, die Verletzten |
| extended | die gestern angekommene Lieferung |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
The present participle is the infinitive plus -d and says the noun is doing it.
Die wartenden Fahrgäste wurden ungeduldig.The waiting passengers grew impatient.
The past participle says the action has been done to the noun.
Er sucht den verlorenen Schlüssel.He is looking for the lost key.
In front of a noun both take ordinary adjective endings.
mit einem geöffneten Fensterwith an open window
German builds an extended participle phrase where English uses a relative clause.
die gestern angekommene Lieferungthe delivery that arrived yesterday
Example sentences
Der kommende Winter soll mild werden.The coming winter is supposed to be mild.
Die gebuchten Plätze sind bestätigt.The booked seats are confirmed.
Ein schreiendes Kind saß im Wagen.A screaming child was sitting in the carriage.
Die betroffenen Kunden werden informiert.The customers affected will be informed.
Das ist eine überraschende Entscheidung.That is a surprising decision.
8 more example sentences
Die geplante Änderung gilt ab Januar.The planned change applies from January.
Eine wachsende Zahl von Betrieben macht mit.A growing number of firms are taking part.
Der bestellte Artikel ist nicht lieferbar.The item ordered is not available.
Das ist eine erschreckende Zahl.That is an alarming figure.
Die unterschriebenen Verträge liegen vor.The signed contracts are to hand.
Ein zunehmender Anteil arbeitet von zu Hause.An increasing share works from home.
Die Betroffenen haben Widerspruch eingelegt.Those affected have lodged an objection.
Wir suchen eine erfahrene Kollegin.We are looking for an experienced colleague.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
German has no progressive, so a participle in -end cannot be a main verb. It is an adjective and needs a noun to attach to, or an actual verb has to be supplied. English speakers meet -end, read it as -ing, and produce a sentence with nothing conjugated in it — which is exactly the sentence above.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
German uses both participles as adjectives, and they mean opposite things. The present participle — infinitive plus -d — says the noun is doing it: der wartende Zug, the waiting train. The past participle says it has been done to the noun: der verlorene Schlüssel, the lost key.
Once in front of a noun they take ordinary adjective endings, so nothing new has to be learned about the declension. What is new is that German builds these freely where English needs a relative clause: die gestern angekommene Lieferung is "the delivery that arrived yesterday".
The present participle is almost never used as a verb form in German — there is no progressive — so meeting -end in a sentence is a reliable signal that it is an adjective, or an adverb describing how something is done (Sie kam lachend herein). English speakers expect otherwise and read wartend as "is waiting", which produces a sentence with no main verb.
A closer look
The extended participle phrase, and why it exists
German can load a participle with everything a relative clause would carry and put it in front of the noun: die vom Amt gestern per Post verschickte Bestätigung. English cannot do this at all beyond one or two words, which is why translating such a phrase always produces a clause.
It is a written construction, common in law, journalism and academic prose, and rare in speech. For a learner it is a reading skill rather than a writing one: recognise the pattern by finding the article, then the noun a long way after it, and read everything between them as a description of that noun.
Exceptions and special cases2
Exception
When the participle is used as a noun
then it takes adjective endings and a capital letter: die Reisenden, die Verletzten, die Angestellten.
Die Reisenden wurden gebeten, zurückzutreten.Travellers were asked to stand back.
Why? It is still an adjective with the noun left out — the same rule as for any nominalised adjective.
Exception
When the verb is intransitive with sein
then the past participle describes the state after the event: der angekommene Zug, not one that has been arrived.
Der eben angekommene Zug fährt nach Kiel.The train that has just arrived goes to Kiel.
Why? With no object to act on, the participle can only describe the subject, so it stays active in sense.
Worth knowing2
Worth knowing
zu plus participle means it still has to be done
Die zu erledigenden Aufgaben are the tasks that still have to be dealt with — a passive with a sense of obligation, packed into one word. It is the written counterpart of sein zu and belongs to the same register: forms, minutes, contracts.
die noch zu klärenden Fragenthe questions still to be resolved
Worth knowing
A few participles are ordinary adjectives now
Bekannt, begeistert, verliebt, gespannt and verheiratet started as participles and are simply adjectives today — they take comparatives and no longer feel like verbs. Nothing about them needs special treatment, which is itself worth knowing.
Ich bin sehr gespannt auf das Ergebnis.I am very curious about the result.
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The verbs on this page, in every form: werden · sein · sollen · fahren · sitzen · suchen · bestätigen · bitten