Verbal Nouns with Complements in German

In Brief

German can turn an infinitive into a neuter noun: lesen becomes das Lesen. The action can still carry information inherited from the verb, but its complements are fitted into a noun phrase: das Buch lesen becomes das Lesen des Buches, while a prepositional complement normally keeps its preposition: auf den Bus warten becomes das Warten auf den Bus.

Overview

A verbal noun here means an infinitive used as a noun: Lesen, Warten, Schreiben. Like every German noun, it begins with a capital letter. It is normally neuter, so its basic article is das: das Lesen, das Warten, das Schreiben. This process is called nominalization—turning a word or phrase into a noun or noun phrase.

At C1, the important step is not merely recognizing das Essen or beim Lesen. It is learning how a whole verbal idea is reorganized around the noun. A verb may have a complement (a word or phrase required or strongly selected by that verb), such as the direct object in das Buch lesen or the prepositional phrase in auf den Bus warten. When the verb is nominalized, that information often remains, but its grammatical packaging may change.

This pattern is especially common in formal instructions, academic prose, administration, news writing, and compact headings. English often uses an -ing form: “reading the book,” “waiting for the bus.” That resemblance is useful, but German is stricter about capitalization, articles, case, and contractions such as beim and zum.

How It Works

1. Turn the infinitive into a noun

The nominalized infinitive keeps the infinitive's spelling but takes noun capitalization. It has no plural in ordinary use when it names an activity as a process.

Verb	Verbal noun	Meaning
lesen	das Lesen	reading
schreiben	das Schreiben	writing
warten	das Warten	waiting
entscheiden	das Entscheiden	deciding
zusammenarbeiten	das Zusammenarbeiten	working together

Separable verbs remain joined in the infinitive and therefore in the verbal noun: teilnehmen → das Teilnehmen, kennenlernen → das Kennenlernen. The stress pattern remains that of the verb.

A determiner or adjective can make the noun status especially visible:

• das konzentrierte Lesen — focused reading
• langes Warten — a long wait / waiting for a long time
• sein ständiges Unterbrechen — his constant interrupting

The adjective has the ending required inside the noun phrase. Compare verbal konzentriert lesen with nominal das konzentrierte Lesen.

2. Convert a direct object into a genitive phrase

An accusative object is the person or thing directly affected by an action. With a nominalized infinitive, that object is commonly expressed as an attributive genitive—a phrase with the sense of “of ...” that depends on a noun.

Verbal phrase	Nominal phrase	English
das Buch lesen	das Lesen des Buches	reading the book
den Brief schreiben	das Schreiben des Briefs	writing the letter
die Ergebnisse prüfen	das Prüfen der Ergebnisse	checking the results
eine Wohnung suchen	die Suche nach einer Wohnung / das Suchen einer Wohnung	looking for an apartment

The noun in the complement changes from accusative to genitive: das Buch becomes des Buches. This is a central difference from English, where “reading the book” leaves “the book” looking like an ordinary object.

A von phrase is also possible, especially with a plural noun lacking an article, in less formal language, or where the genitive would sound heavy:

• das Lesen von Fachartikeln
• das Ausfüllen von Formularen
• beim Sortieren von alten Fotos

With a definite singular noun, the genitive is usually more compact and polished: das Öffnen der Tür. Das Öffnen von der Tür is normally avoided in standard formal prose.

3. Keep prepositional complements

If the verb selects a particular preposition, nominalization usually preserves it. The preposition continues to determine the case (the form showing a noun phrase's grammatical role).

Verb pattern	Nominalized pattern	Case retained
auf den Bus warten	das Warten auf den Bus	auf + accusative
an die Zukunft denken	das Denken an die Zukunft	an + accusative
mit Kunden sprechen	das Sprechen mit Kunden	mit + dative
über den Plan diskutieren	das Diskutieren über den Plan	über + accusative
von einem Erfolg träumen	das Träumen von einem Erfolg	von + dative

Do not choose a new preposition by translating English “of” or “about.” Learn the verb and its preposition as one pattern: warten auf, denken an, sprechen mit/über.

Some established lexical nouns use a related but not always identical pattern. For example, sich für etwas entscheiden corresponds naturally to die Entscheidung für etwas. This article focuses on productive infinitive nominalizations, but advanced writing often prefers such established nouns.

4. Put the whole noun phrase after another preposition

The verbal noun itself can be governed by a preposition. The most frequent contractions are:

Form	Expanded form	Typical meaning
beim Lesen	bei dem Lesen	while reading / in the course of reading
zum Lesen	zu dem Lesen	for reading / in order to read, depending on context
nach dem Lesen	—	after reading
vor dem Öffnen	—	before opening
durch das Üben	—	by means of practicing
ohne langes Zögern	—	without hesitating for long

Any inherited complement follows the verbal noun: beim Warten auf den Bus, nach dem Lesen des Berichts, durch das regelmäßige Üben der Aussprache. There are therefore two grammatical layers: the outer preposition governs the verbal noun, while the inner complement belongs to the nominalized action.

5. Show who performs the action when necessary

A genitive or von phrase can sometimes name the performer rather than the affected object:

• das Singen der Kinder — the children's singing
• das Eintreffen des Zuges — the train's arrival
• das wiederholte Nachfragen der Kundin — the customer's repeated asking

With a transitive verb, a genitive may in principle be ambiguous. Die Beobachtung des Forschers can mean “the observation made by the researcher” or “the observation of the researcher.” Context often resolves this, but clear writing may use a different formulation:

• performer: die Beobachtung durch den Forscher
• observed person: die Beobachtung des Forschers

The durch phrase is particularly useful for marking the agent—the person or force carrying out an action—in formal prose.

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Das Lesen des Buches dauerte lange.	Reading the book took a long time.	Direct object becomes genitive.
Das Schreiben des Briefs fiel mir schwer.	Writing the letter was difficult for me.	des Briefs depends on Schreiben.
Beim Warten auf den Bus hörte sie einen Podcast.	While waiting for the bus, she listened to a podcast.	auf + accusative is retained.
Nach dem Öffnen der Datei erschien eine Warnung.	After opening the file, a warning appeared.	Outer nach + dative; inner genitive.
Das regelmäßige Überprüfen der Daten verhindert Fehler.	Regularly checking the data prevents errors.	An adjective describes the activity.
Beim Sprechen mit Kunden ist Geduld wichtig.	Patience is important when speaking with customers.	mit still takes dative.
Sein ständiges Denken an die Arbeit belastete ihn.	His constantly thinking about work was weighing on him.	Possessive determiner plus retained an.
Durch das Vergleichen mehrerer Angebote konnten wir sparen.	By comparing several offers, we were able to save money.	Genitive plural without an article.
Vor dem Unterzeichnen des Vertrags sollten Sie alles prüfen.	Before signing the contract, you should check everything.	Formal instructional style.
Das gemeinsame Arbeiten an dem Projekt stärkte das Team.	Working together on the project strengthened the team.	an + dative for work on a project.
Beim Nachdenken über ihre Antwort bemerkte er den Fehler.	While thinking about her answer, he noticed the error.	Separable nachdenken becomes Nachdenken.
Das Eintreffen des Zuges verzögerte sich um zehn Minuten.	The train's arrival was delayed by ten minutes.	Genitive names what performs the event.
Zum Erlernen einer Sprache gehört das regelmäßige Wiederholen.	Learning a language involves regular review.	Compact, relatively formal phrasing.

Common Mistakes

Leaving the verbal noun lowercase

• Wrong: Beim warten auf den Bus wurde mir kalt.
• Right: Beim Warten auf den Bus wurde mir kalt.
• Why: A nominalized infinitive is a noun and must be capitalized. Beim (bei dem) is a strong signal that a noun follows.

Keeping a direct object in the accusative

• Wrong: Das Lesen den Bericht dauerte eine Stunde.
• Right: Das Lesen des Berichts dauerte eine Stunde.
• Why: In the noun phrase, the former accusative object is normally recast as a genitive attribute.

Dropping the verb's preposition

• Wrong: Beim Warten den Bus las ich Nachrichten.
• Right: Beim Warten auf den Bus las ich Nachrichten.
• Why: warten selects auf + accusative. Nominalization does not remove that relationship.

Giving the verbal noun the wrong gender

• Wrong: die Lesen des Artikels
• Right: das Lesen des Artikels
• Why: Productively nominalized infinitives are neuter. A related lexical noun may have another gender—compare das Entscheiden with die Entscheidung.

Overloading the noun phrase

• Awkward: Das schnelle Lesen des langen Berichts durch die neue Mitarbeiterin unter großem Zeitdruck ...
• Clearer: Die neue Mitarbeiterin musste den langen Bericht unter großem Zeitdruck schnell lesen ...
• Why: Nominalization can compress information, but several stacked complements make readers work harder. A finite clause is often clearer.

Using von mechanically

• Less suitable in formal prose: das Öffnen von der Tür
• Better: das Öffnen der Tür
• Why: For a definite singular noun, standard written German generally prefers the genitive. Von is useful when it avoids an awkward or unmarked genitive, as in das Lesen von Fachtexten.

Usage Notes

Nominalized infinitives are neutral and ordinary in short expressions such as beim Essen, nach dem Aufstehen, and viel Spaß beim Lesen. Longer versions with several complements are more characteristic of written or formal German. They allow a process to function as the subject or object of a sentence: Das Bearbeiten der Anträge kostet Zeit.

German formal style often favors nominal style (Nominalstil), in which actions are packed into nouns. This can sound concise and impersonal: Vor dem Betreten des Gebäudes ist eine Anmeldung erforderlich. Everyday speech more often chooses a clause: Bevor Sie das Gebäude betreten, müssen Sie sich anmelden. Neither version is automatically better; choose according to register and readability.

There is also an important contrast between a productive verbal noun and a lexical noun with an established meaning:

Verbal noun	Established noun	Typical difference
das Entscheiden	die Entscheidung	process of deciding vs decision/result
das Beantragen	der Antrag	act of applying vs application/request
das Liefern	die Lieferung	process of delivering vs delivery/consignment
das Untersuchen	die Untersuchung	act/process vs examination or investigation as an event/result

The distinction is not absolute, but it helps you choose idiomatic wording. English -ing does not always correspond to a German nominalized infinitive; an established noun or a subordinate clause may sound more natural.

Beyond the Basics: Information Structure and Ambiguity

Advanced writers use nominalization to control what the sentence is “about.” Compare:

• Die Behörde prüft die Unterlagen sorgfältig. — The authority carefully checks the documents.
• Die sorgfältige Prüfung der Unterlagen durch die Behörde dauert mehrere Tage. — The authority's careful examination of the documents takes several days.

The first sentence foregrounds the actor, die Behörde. The second makes the process, die Prüfung, the central topic and places both the affected item and the actor inside one noun phrase. This is useful in technical and institutional writing, but it also hides responsibility more easily. Bei der Prüfung kam es zu Fehlern does not say who made the errors.

Infinitive nominalizations can take negation and adverb-like meaning, but these are expressed inside the noun phrase:

• das Nichtbeachten der Regeln — failure to observe the rules
• das zu schnelle Fahren — driving too fast
• sein plötzliches Verlassen des Raumes — his suddenly leaving the room

Forms with Nicht- are often written as a single capitalized compound when they form an established unit, as in das Nichtbeachten. In less lexicalized combinations, writers may choose a clearer clause instead.

Watch for genitive ambiguity, especially with nouns derived by suffixes such as -ung. A genitive can identify the actor or the target of an action. If both readings are plausible, mark the actor with durch, use a possessive expression, or rewrite as a clause. Precision matters more than nominal density.

Finally, not every verbal dependent transfers unchanged. Prepositional government is generally stable, but idiomatic lexical nouns may select their own construction: jemandem helfen becomes die Hilfe für jemanden or die Hilfe bei etwas, depending on meaning. When moving from a productive form such as das Helfen to an established noun such as die Hilfe, check the noun's own pattern rather than assuming the verb's case survives.

Practice Tips

1. Transform complete phrases, not isolated verbs. Start with den Vertrag unterschreiben, auf eine Antwort warten, and mit dem Team sprechen. Then build das Unterschreiben des Vertrags, das Warten auf eine Antwort, and das Sprechen mit dem Team.
2. Mark the two layers. In nach dem Lesen des Berichts, underline nach dem Lesen as the outer phrase and des Berichts as the complement of Lesen. This prevents case choices from becoming guesswork.
3. Practice both styles. Rewrite a clause as a nominal phrase, then rewrite it back: Bevor Sie das Formular absenden ... ↔ Vor dem Absenden des Formulars .... Ask which version fits an email, conversation, instruction, or report better.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Nominalization — introduces how German turns verbs, adjectives, and other forms into nouns.