Participle I as an Adjective in German

In Brief

German forms the Partizip I (present participle) by adding -d to the infinitive: schlafen → schlafend. When it comes before a noun, it behaves like an adjective and receives the appropriate adjective ending: das schlafend*e Kind*, mit einem schlafend*en Kind*. It usually presents the noun as actively doing something or as being in an ongoing state.

Overview

A participle is a verb form that can do some of the work of an adjective. German has two main participles. The Partizip I discussed here often describes an action or state as ongoing: ein bellender Hund is a dog that is barking. The Partizip II, by contrast, often describes the result of an action or has a passive sense: die geschlossene Tür is the door that has been closed.

Partizip I forms are easy to build, but using them before nouns requires a skill you already need for ordinary German adjectives: adjective declension. Declension means changing an ending to show grammatical information. The ending depends on the determiner (der, ein, mein, and so on), gender, number, and case—the form that marks a noun phrase's role in the sentence, such as subject, direct object, or indirect object.

At B2, these forms matter especially in news reports, instructions, academic writing, and formal descriptions. They let German compress a relative clause into a noun phrase: die Gäste, die warten can become die wartenden Gäste. English often uses an -ing form in the same place, but the match is not automatic; idiomatic meaning and German adjective endings still have to be checked.

How It Works

Step 1: Form the Partizip I

Start with the infinitive—the basic verb form found in a dictionary—and add -d.

German form	English meaning	Formation
schlafen → schlafend	sleeping	infinitive + -d
kommen → kommend	coming, arriving	infinitive + -d
arbeiten → arbeitend	working	infinitive + -d
lächeln → lächelnd	smiling	infinitive + -d
sein → seiend	being	irregular-looking but regular from sei-en + -d
tun → tuend	doing	tun loses its final n before -d in the written form

The form does not agree with a subject the way a finite verb does: schlafend itself does not change for person or tense. It can be used without an adjective ending in adverb-like structures such as Er saß schweigend da (“He sat there silently”). This article focuses on the attributive use: the use directly before a noun.

Step 2: Add an adjective ending before a noun

Before a noun, the Partizip I takes exactly the ending that an ordinary adjective would take. Think of it as two layers:

verb stem + participle marker + adjective ending
schlaf + en + d + e = schlafende

The participle layer, schlafend-, carries the meaning “sleeping.” The final adjective ending carries grammatical information. Do not replace the -d with an ending; attach the ending after it.

Here is one participle with several common endings:

German phrase	English	Why this ending?
der kommende Zug	the arriving train	nominative masculine after der: -e
ein kommender Zug	an arriving train	nominative masculine after ein: -er
den kommenden Zug	the arriving train	accusative masculine after den: -en
mit dem kommenden Zug	on the arriving train	dative after mit and dem: -en
kommende Züge	arriving trains	nominative plural without a determiner: -e

The complete pattern is not a special “participle declension.” It is ordinary adjective declension. The following overview shows the endings after the definite article; these are especially useful for reviewing the prerequisite pattern.

Case	Masculine	Neuter	Feminine	Plural
Nominative	der wartende Mann	das wartende Kind	die wartende Frau	die wartenden Leute
Accusative	den wartenden Mann	das wartende Kind	die wartende Frau	die wartenden Leute
Dative	dem wartenden Mann	dem wartenden Kind	der wartenden Frau	den wartenden Leuten
Genitive	des wartenden Mannes	des wartenden Kindes	der wartenden Frau	der wartenden Leute

Step 3: Understand the relationship to the noun

The noun normally performs the participle's action or experiences its ongoing state:

• der singende Mann = the man who is singing
• das wachsende Problem = the problem that is growing
• die fehlenden Unterlagen = the documents that are missing

This is why the Partizip I is often described as active and simultaneous. “Active” means that the noun is understood as the doer or bearer of the activity; “simultaneous” means that the activity is viewed as happening during the situation being described. These are useful tendencies, not a full tense system. The participle itself has no tense; the surrounding sentence supplies the time:

• Gestern sahen wir den abfahrenden Zug. — The train was leaving then.
• Morgen beobachten wir den abfahrenden Zug. — The train will be leaving then.

Expanding a relative clause

A relative clause is a clause that identifies or describes a noun, often with English “who,” “that,” or “which.” If the noun is the subject of an active German relative clause, the clause can often be compressed into a Partizip I phrase.

German	English	Structure
die Kinder, die im Garten spielen	the children who are playing in the garden	relative clause
die im Garten spielenden Kinder	the children playing in the garden	participial phrase
die Fahrgäste, die auf den Bus warten	the passengers who are waiting for the bus	relative clause
die auf den Bus wartenden Fahrgäste	the passengers waiting for the bus	participial phrase

Objects, adverbs, and prepositional phrases belonging to the verb remain before the participle. The whole description sits before the noun, while only the participle receives the adjective ending: die seit einer Stunde auf den verspäteten Bus wartend*en Fahrgäste*.

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Das schlafende Kind soll nicht geweckt werden.	The sleeping child should not be woken.	Ongoing state; definite article
Der kommende Zug fährt nach Hamburg.	The arriving train is going to Hamburg.	The train is the thing coming
Eine überraschende Nachricht änderte alles.	A surprising message changed everything.	überraschend is very common as an adjective
Sie beruhigte den weinenden Jungen.	She calmed the crying boy.	Accusative masculine: -en
Wir folgten dem leuchtenden Schild.	We followed the illuminated/glowing sign.	Dative neuter: -en
Im Flur standen wartende Gäste.	Guests who were waiting stood in the hall.	No article; strong plural ending -e
Die steigenden Preise belasten viele Familien.	Rising prices are putting pressure on many families.	Frequent in news and economics
Bitte legen Sie das Formular in den dafür vorgesehenen, mit „Ausgang“ gekennzeichneten Kasten.	Please put the form in the designated box marked “Exit.”	Contrast: vorgesehenen and gekennzeichneten are Partizip II forms
Die an der Konferenz teilnehmenden Forschenden erhalten einen Ausweis.	The researchers participating in the conference receive a badge.	A complement remains before the participle
Ein freundlich lächelnder Mitarbeiter half uns weiter.	A friendly, smiling employee helped us.	Adverb freundlich modifies lächelnd
Sie verließ kopfschüttelnd den Raum.	She left the room shaking her head.	No noun follows, so no adjective ending
Die noch fehlenden Angaben können Sie später ergänzen.	You can add the information that is still missing later.	Lexically common Partizip I adjective

The long conference example is grammatically efficient but denser than a relative clause. In conversation, Die Forschenden, die an der Konferenz teilnehmen, ... will often be easier to process.

Common Mistakes

Dropping the adjective ending

• Wrong: das schlafend Kind
• Right: das schlafende Kind
• Why: Schlafend is the bare Partizip I. Directly before Kind, it must take the adjective ending -e.

Removing the participle's -d

• Wrong: die kommende Gäste when the intended form is plural after die
• Right: die kommenden Gäste
• Why: The form consists of kommend- plus -en. The d belongs to the participle; -en is the adjective ending.

Choosing the ending from the noun's gender alone

• Wrong: mit ein kommender Zug
• Right: mit einem kommenden Zug
• Why: The preposition mit requires dative case. Both ein and the participle must show the correct dative pattern.

Using Partizip I for a passive result

• Wrong: die schließende Tür for “the closed door”
• Right: die geschlossene Tür
• Why: Die schließende Tür is a door that is currently closing. A door in the resulting closed state is geschlossen, a Partizip II adjective.

Translating every English -ing modifier literally

• Awkward: eine arbeitende Lösung for “a working solution”
• Better: eine funktionierende Lösung
• Why: English working can mean “functioning,” but German arbeitend normally describes someone or something engaged in work. Choose the German verb that expresses the intended meaning.

Packing too much before the noun

• Hard to read: die seit mehreren Monaten unter schwierigen Bedingungen an dem Projekt arbeitenden Mitarbeiter
• Clearer: die Mitarbeiter, die seit mehreren Monaten unter schwierigen Bedingungen an dem Projekt arbeiten
• Why: A long participial phrase is possible, but a relative clause is often clearer, especially in speech or reader-friendly prose.

Usage Notes

Partizip I adjectives occur in all registers, but their distribution varies. Short, familiar forms are entirely natural in everyday German: kochendes Wasser, spielende Kinder, laufende Kosten, dringende Fragen. Longer participial phrases are more typical of formal writing, journalism, administration, and academic texts because they package information compactly before a noun.

Some forms have become established adjectives and may express more than a literal action in progress. Spannend usually means “exciting” or “engaging,” not simply “tensing”; bedeutend can mean “significant”; dringend means “urgent”; and ausreichend means “sufficient.” Dictionaries may list such words as adjectives even though their form is historically or transparently participial. Their comparative forms may also behave like those of ordinary adjectives: eine spannendere Geschichte (“a more exciting story”).

English learners should pay particular attention to word order. English can place a short -ing phrase after the noun—“the people waiting outside.” Standard German normally places the corresponding attributive phrase before the noun: die draußen wartenden Leute. German also marks the participle with an adjective ending, something English does not do.

The bare Partizip I can describe how another action happens: Sie kam lächelnd herein (“She came in smiling”). Grammatically, this is not an attributive adjective before a noun, so it has no declension ending. It is useful to contrast der lächelnde Mann with Der Mann antwortete lächelnd.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Partizip I and Partizip II are not simply present and past

The traditional names can mislead. The main contrast is often one of viewpoint:

German phrase	English	Viewpoint
die öffnende Technikerin	the technician opening [something]	active, action in progress
die geöffnete Tür	the opened/open door	completed action or resulting state
die überzeugende Erklärung	the convincing explanation	produces an effect
die überzeugte Kundin	the convinced customer	has undergone the effect

Not every verb gives both participles a useful attributive meaning. Meaning and idiom matter more than mechanical symmetry.

Extended modifiers and formal style

German can build very long extended participial modifiers (erweiterte Partizipialattribute). These preserve much of a full clause while placing the finite verb's information into a declined participle:

die von der Kommission gestern veröffentlichten Zahlen
the figures published by the commission yesterday

That example uses Partizip II, but the same architecture works with Partizip I:

die derzeit über den Vorschlag beratenden Mitglieder
the members currently discussing the proposal

Such structures are valuable for reading advanced texts. When writing, use them selectively. If readers must hold many words in memory before reaching the noun, a relative clause is usually more transparent.

Participles used as nouns

A declined Partizip I can be nominalized, meaning that it is used as a noun. It is then capitalized and still follows adjective endings:

• der Reisende — the (male) traveler
• die Reisende — the (female) traveler
• die Reisenden — the travelers
• Studierende — students, literally “people studying”

The ending depends on case and determiner just as it does when a noun follows: mit den Reisenden, ein Studierender, viele Studierende. Nominalization is a related extension, not a reason to capitalize an ordinary attributive form: write die reisenden Gäste, but die Reisenden.

Negation and other dependents

A participial phrase can include negation: die nicht endende Diskussion (“the discussion that does not end”) or ein kaum hörbares—though hörbar is an adjective, not a participle—Geräusch. With Partizip I, place words that modify the action before the participle: die nicht zuhörenden Teilnehmer, der schnell näher kommende Zug. This follows the same principle as other expanded modifiers.

Practice Tips

1. Build forms in two passes. First create the bare participle (warten → wartend). Then add the adjective ending required by the noun phrase (die wartenden Gäste, mit wartenden Gästen). This prevents the -d and declension ending from becoming mixed up.
2. Transform short relative clauses. Start with pairs such as der Mann, der dort wartet → der dort wartende Mann. Check that the noun is the subject of the embedded action and that all complements remain with the participle.
3. Collect forms from real texts in whole phrases. Save steigende Preise or eine überzeugende Antwort, not just steigend or überzeugend. The noun phrase teaches meaning, register, and adjective ending together.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Adjective Declension with Definite Articles — supplies the ending pattern used in der kommende Zug and die wartenden Gäste.
• Compare next: Participle II as an Adjective — contrasts ongoing or active descriptions with completed, resulting, and often passive meanings.