The Most Important Suffixes
Stü tze, die Leuchte
-bar: forms adjectives from nouns and
other parts of speech:
sichtbar, fruchtbar, tragbar, offenbar
When derived from verbs, such adjectives
express the possibility of something being
done, and exhibit the character of a
process
erfü llbar (can be fulfilled), unbezahlbar
(can not be paid)
-chen, -lein: form neuter diminutives from
nouns, usually with Umlaut; -chen is the
more common diminutive form today; the
endings -e and -en of the stem word are
usually left out:
das Kindchen, das Flä schchen, das
Stä dtchen, das Mä dchen; das
Schneiderlein, das Brü derlein, das
Frä ulein; das Hä schen, das Gä rtchen
-de: forms feminine and neuter nouns
from verbs; no new formations possible in
modern G erman:
die Freude, die Z ierde, die Schande (from
schä men), die Gemeinde; das Gebä ude,
das Gelü bde (from geloben), das Getreide
(from tragen)
-e: forms nouns from verbs or adjectives,
often with Umlaut or vowel change:
die Hilfe, die Bitte, die Sprache, die L iebe;
der Wille, der Glaube; die Grö ß e, die
Breite, die Ebene, die Hö he, die Rö te
Often such nouns designate tools or
instruments:
die Sä ge, die Schraube, die Winde, die
-e also forms adverbs from adjectives;
most of these derivations today are either
obsolescent or have become colloquial,
but still frequently occur in poetic usage.
lange, stille, balde
-ei: Originally a foreign suffix, it is now
considered completely German, but still
shifts the primary stress to the last
syllable; forms feminine nouns from verbs
and nouns. These nouns indicate
1. an intensive activity, sometimes with a
derogatory connotation:
die Z auberei, die Schmeichelei, die
Schreiberei, die Klingelei
2. a place of business, occupation, or
activity:
die Molkerei, die Druckerei, die Bü cherei,
die Schneiderei, die Abtei, die Einsiedelei
-el: forms mostly masculine, occasionally
feminine nouns from verbs; these nouns
often indicate tools or instruments:
der Deckel, der Hebel, der Schlü ssel, der
Flü gel; die Schü ssel
-eln, ern: form verbs from verbs or other
parts of speech, expressing the repetition
of a process or an activity, usually in a
diminishing sense; verbs in -ern are often
derived from onomatopoetic words:
lä cheln, witzeln, spö tteln, frö steln;
wiehern, m eckern
-en, -ern: form adjectives from nouns to
designate a material:
golden, seiden, wollen, silbern; by analogy
to silbern: hö lzern, glä sern, eisern
-er: forms masculine nouns from verbs
(and occasionally other parts of speech)
to designate occupations (Umlaut):
der Bä cker, der Verkä ufer, der L ehrer;
der Schreiner, der Tischler, der Schü ler,
der Schä fer
Such nouns also characterize persons by a
particular attribute or by place of origin:
der Schwindler, der Bettler, der Sammler,
der Betrü ger; der Berliner, der Hollä nder,
der Italiener
The derivations can also designate
instruments:
der Bohrer, der Empfä nger, der Sender
(radio), der Kocher, der Wecker, der
Schalter
Sometimes nouns ending in -er can not be
derived from the stem verb itself, but only
from a compound verb form:
der Ü berbringer (not der Bringer), der
Absender (not der Sender), der Nachfolger
(not der Folger)
-haft: forms adjectives from nouns and
other adjectives to designate the type of
quality:
krankhaft, mä dchenhaft, laienhaft,
sü ndhaft
Some adjectives have the additional suffix
-ig:
wahrhaftig, leibhaftig
-heit (-keit): forms nouns designating a
condition or a characteristic from nouns,
adjectives, or participles (always
feminine):
die Schö nheit, die Bosheit, die Schlauheit,
die Menschheit, die Gottheit, die
Christenheit, die Gelegenheit, die
Verschwiegenheit, die Vergangenheit
-keit is used after the suffixes -bar, -ig,
-lich, -sam, and usually after -el and -er:
die Dankbarkeit, die Sü ß igkeit, die
Freundlichkeit, die Einsam keit, die
Heiterkeit, die Tapferkeit, die Eitelkeit;
but: die Sicherheit, die Dunkelheit
-ig: forms adjectives which show a
condition or a similarity; some of these
derivations have U mlaut:
freudig, traurig, gefä llig, anmutig,
schlä frig, schaurig, deinig, hiesig, dortig
Compare silbern (made of silver) and
silbrig (like silver); hö lzern (made of
wood) and holzig (like wood).
Factitive or causative verbs may be
formed from some of these adjectives:
sü ndigen, m ä ß igen, entschuldigen
There are also analogous formations like
reinigen, besä nftigen, beleidigen
-in (plural -innen): forms feminine nouns
from masculines to indicate the female
counterpart; an -e ending on the stem is
omitted:
die L ehrerin, die Studentin, die Schü lerin,
die Ä rztin, die Mü nchnerin, die
Sekretä rin, die Kö nigin, die Freundin; die
L ö win, die Z eugin, die Beamtin
Extended to -essin for die Prinzessin, to
-issin for die Ä btissin.
-isch: forms adjectives designating origin,
property or characteristic (often negative)
from nouns and pronouns, occasionally
from verbs:
franzö sisch, arabisch, mü nchnerisch,
irdisch, himmlisch; geographisch, chemisch,
alkoholisch, photographisch; diebisch,
kindisch, weibisch, launisch, gespenstisch;
malerisch, zeichnerisch
-lich: forms adjectives denoting
characteristic qualities from all parts of
speech. The syllable -lich was originally a
noun meaning "body." If the stem ends in
-n, a linking -d- or -t- occurs before the
ending:
freundlich, herzlich, ä ngstlich,
zerbrechlich, erfreulich; wissentlich,
wesentlich, namentlich (not the same as
nä mlich); by analogy with ä rgerlich:
lä cherlich
Umlaut is found only occasionally:
empfä nglich, gebrä uchlich, verlä ß lich,
sä chlich (not to be confused with
sachlich)
Notice the difference between -ig and
-lich:
halbjä hrlich: every half year; halbjä hrig:
lasting half a year (or half a year old);
similarly: stü ndlich and (ein)stü ndig;
geschä ftlich: commercial; geschä ftig:
busy; geistlich: clerical, religious; geistig:
intellectual, spiritual
mü ndlich: oral; mü ndig: of age
vorzeitlich: prehistoric; vorzeitig:
premature
verstä ndlich: comprehensible;
verstä ndig: reasonable
fremdsprachlich: dealing with a foreign
language; fremdsprachig: in a foreign
language
Notice the difference between -lich and
-isch:
weiblich: feminine; weibisch: effeminate
kindlich: childlike; kindisch: childish
herrlich: magnificent; herrisch:
domineering
Without pejorative connotation in the
suffix -isch:
hö flich: courteous; hö fisch: courtly
nö rdlich northern; nordisch: Norse
heim lich: secret; heim isch: domestic
-ling: forms masculine nouns from verbs,
adjectives, or other nouns. The derivatives
describe a person by means of the
condition or activity in which he finds
himself; they usually carry umlaut:
der Flü chtling, der L ehrling, der Sä ugling,
der Strä fling, der Jü ngling, der L iebling
Often they have a diminutive or strongly
pejorative connotation:
der Dichterling, der Schwä chling, der
Feigling
Some formations with -ling are
impersonal:
der Frü hling, der Silberling
-nis (plural -nisse): forms neuter or
feminine nouns designating actions,
conditions, or things from verbs,
adjectives, or nouns:
das Gefä ngnis, das Verzeichnis, das
Hindernis, das Bü ndnis; die Bitternis, die
Wildnis, die Finsternis
-s or -ens: forms adverbs from nouns and
adjectives:
tags, flugs, rechts, meistens, erstens
-s: forms masculine nouns from verbs:
der Knicks, der Klaps, der Schnaps, der
Schwips
-sal, -sel: forms mostly neuter nouns,
mainly from verbs:
das Schicksal, das Scheusal, das L absal;
die Trü bsal; das Rä tsel, das Mitbringsel,
das Ü berbleibsel; der Stö psel
-sam: forms adjectives from abstract
nouns, verbs, and other adjectives:
arbeitsam, biegsam, lenksam, langsam
-schaft: forms feminine collective nouns
designating territory, a group, a condition,
or a property, usually from other nouns,
sometimes from adjectives and
participles:
die Grafschaft, die Herrschaft, die
L andschaft; die Bü rgerschaft, die
L ehrerschaft, die Arbeiterschaft; die
Freundschaft, die Bruderschaft; die
Eigenschaft, die Gem einschaft, die
Gefangenschaft, die Verwandtschaft
-st: forms abstract nouns from verbs; no
new formations possible any more:
der Gewinst, das Gespinst, die Kunst (from
kö nnen)
-t: forms feminine nouns from verbs; no
new formations possible any more:
die Fahrt, die Wacht, die Tracht, die Furt
-tum: forms nouns, mostly neuter, which
(like -schaft) can designate territory or
group, but may also show abstract
qualities:
das Fü rstentum, das Kö nigtum (not
identical with Kö nigreich), das
Bauerntum, das Bü rgertum, das Altertum;
der Reichtum, der Irrtum
-ung: forms feminine nouns from verbs,
often verbs with prefixes:
die Hoffnung, die Haltung, die Scheidung,
die Schilderung, die Verbeugung, die
Bekanntm achung, die Voraussetzung, die
Beerdigung, die Genugtuung, die Mitteilung
-weise: forms adverbs, which can
occasionally be used as adjectives, from
nouns and adjectives; since weise was
originally a noun, a linking -s- is often
used after nouns, a linking -er- after
adjectives:
zwangsweise, ausnahmsweise, meterweise;
glü cklicherweise, dumm erweise,
klugerweise
Foreign Suffixes
In addition to the suffixes listed above,
foreign suffixes can also be used to derive
words. They are often affixed to German
stems.
Masculine nouns are formed with the sufflxes
-ismus:
Sozialismus, Kapitalismus, Realisrnus,
Expressionismus (but: die Klassik, die
Romantik)
-and, -ant, -är, -ast, -eur (feminine: -euse),
-ier, -ist, -or (all except -ast and -or
designate only persons):
Konfirmand, Spekulant, Volontär,
Enthusiast, Friseur (Friseuse), Bankier,
Humanist, Professor; Kontrast, Motor,
Faktor, Sektor
Feminine nouns are formed with the suffixes
-ion, -ur, -age (often from verbs ending in
-ieren):
Rebellion, Politur, Natur, Blamage
-tät, -enz, -ie, -ik:
Universität, Pestilenz, Melodie, Drogerie,
Philosophie, Politik, Physik
-itis (medical terms):
Bronchitis, Rachitis
Neuter nouns are formed with the suffixes
-ett, -il, -in, -ium, -ma, -ment, -um:
Sonett, Fossil, Benzin, Ministerium, Plasma,
Parlament, Album
Adjectives (rarely from German stems) are
formed with the suffixes -abel, al, an (-än),
-ant, -är, -at, e11, -ent, -esk, -ett, -ibel, -id,
-il, -iv, -os (-ös):
blamabel, radikal, human, souverän,
markant, revolutionär, obligat, materiell,
eminent, grotesk, honett, flexibel, morbid,
senil, negativ, rigoros, generös
Verbs can be derived with the sufflxes -ieren
and -eien; -ieren also occurs with words of
German origin:
rasieren, addieren, amtieren, halbieren,
hofieren;
prophezeien, benedeien
Causative or factitive verbs often expand the
suffix -ieren to -isieren of -fizieren:
nationalisieren, glorifizieren
Note:
elektrisieren: to charge with electricity;
elektrifizieren: to provide with electricity