Participle I as Adjective in German

Overview

The Partizip I (present participle) used as an adjective is a B2-level structure that allows you to describe ongoing actions in a compact way. Instead of saying "the child that is sleeping" (das Kind, das schläft), you can say das schlafende Kind (the sleeping child). This construction is elegant, concise, and extremely common in written German.

Forming the Partizip I is simple: take any infinitive and add -d. So schlafen becomes schlafend, kommen becomes kommend, and überraschen becomes überraschend. When used as an adjective before a noun, the participle also takes the standard adjective endings that agree with the noun's gender, case, and number.

This structure is one of the features that makes written German feel distinct from spoken German. While you will hear it occasionally in speech, it truly shines in literature, journalism, and academic writing, where it creates vivid, economical descriptions.

How It Works

Formation: infinitive + d + adjective ending

Step	Example with schlafen
Infinitive	schlafen
Add -d	schlafend
Add adjective ending	schlafende (das schlafende Kind)

Adjective endings follow the standard declension rules:

Case	Definite article	Example
Nominative (neuter)	das schlafende Kind	the sleeping child
Accusative (masc.)	den kommenden Zug	the arriving train
Dative (fem.)	der lächelnden Frau	the smiling woman
Genitive (plural)	der spielenden Kinder	of the playing children

Meaning: The Partizip I as adjective describes an ongoing or simultaneous action. The "sleeping child" is currently sleeping; the "arriving train" is in the process of arriving.

Participle I	Meaning	Example
schlafend	sleeping	das schlafende Kind
lächelnd	smiling	ein lächelnder Mann
überraschend	surprising	eine überraschende Nachricht
wachsend	growing	die wachsende Stadt
kommend	coming/next	die kommende Woche

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Das schlafende Kind.	The sleeping child.	Ongoing state
Der kommende Zug.	The arriving train.	Process in progress
Eine überraschende Nachricht.	A surprising message.	Emotional effect
Die lachenden Kinder spielten im Park.	The laughing children played in the park.	Narrative description
Er sprach mit leiser, beruhigender Stimme.	He spoke in a quiet, calming voice.	Quality description
Die steigenden Preise beunruhigen viele.	The rising prices worry many people.	News/economic context
Ein vielversprechender Anfang.	A promising beginning.	Compound participle
Der entscheidende Moment kam unerwartet.	The decisive moment came unexpectedly.	Abstract usage
Wir beobachteten die untergehende Sonne.	We watched the setting sun.	Separable verb as participle
Mit klopfendem Herzen öffnete sie die Tür.	With a pounding heart, she opened the door.	Literary style

Common Mistakes

Forgetting adjective endings

• Wrong: Das schlafend Kind.
• Right: Das schlafende Kind.
• Why: When used before a noun, the Partizip I functions as an adjective and must take the appropriate adjective ending.

Confusing Partizip I and Partizip II

• Wrong: Das geschlafene Kind. (trying to say "the sleeping child")
• Right: Das schlafende Kind.
• Why: Partizip I (schlafend) = active/ongoing meaning ("sleeping"). Partizip II (geschlafen) = completed/passive meaning. Not all Partizip II forms work as adjectives, and their meaning is different.

Using Partizip I for completed actions

• Wrong: Die angekommende Gruppe (trying to say "the group that has arrived")
• Right: Die angekommene Gruppe (Partizip II for completed action)
• Why: Partizip I describes ongoing or simultaneous actions. For completed actions, use Partizip II.

Usage Notes

The Partizip I as adjective is far more common in written German than in spoken German. In everyday conversation, Germans tend to use relative clauses instead: das Kind, das schläft rather than das schlafende Kind. However, certain Partizip I adjectives have become so established that they are used freely in speech too: überraschend (surprising), entscheidend (decisive), folgend (following), wachsend (growing).

Some Partizip I forms have essentially become standalone adjectives and may even appear in dictionaries as such: dringend (urgent), reizend (charming), spannend (exciting), anstrengend (exhausting). You may not even think of these as participles anymore, but they follow the same formation pattern.

In journalism and academic writing, Partizip I adjectives are valued for their conciseness. A newspaper headline might read Die wachsende Kluft zwischen Arm und Reich (The growing gap between rich and poor) rather than using a longer relative clause.

Compound Partizip I forms are also possible and common in formal registers: vielversprechend (promising, literally "much-promising"), alleinstehend (single/living alone), weitreichend (far-reaching).

Practice Tips

1. Take ten common German verbs and form their Partizip I. Then use each one as an adjective before a noun, making sure to add the correct adjective ending: lesen → ein lesender Mann, tanzen → die tanzenden Leute.
2. Read a German newspaper article and highlight all Partizip I adjectives. Try to rephrase them as relative clauses to confirm you understand the meaning: die steigenden Preise = die Preise, die steigen.
3. Practice with separable verbs, which keep their prefix attached: untergehen → die untergehende Sonne, aufsteigen → der aufsteigende Rauch.

Related Concepts

• Adjective Declension (Definite Articles) — the adjective ending rules that apply to Partizip I
• Participle II as Adjective — using the past participle as an adjective for completed actions