There are 2 participles in German:
Participle I, also known in German as "Partizip Präsens" (present participle).
Partizip I is constructed with:
(INFINITIVE OF THE VERB) + "d"
| Verb | Partizip I |
|---|---|
| haben | habend |
| können | könnend |
| singen | singend |
| fähren | fährend |
There are 2 verbs that don’t follow this rule:
| Verb | Partizip I |
|---|---|
| sein | seiend |
| tun | tuend |
sein and tun are the only verbs in German that do not end with “en”, “ln” or with “rn” and that is why they form the Partizip I differently.
The Partizip I behaves, for all intents and purposes, like an adjective. This means it is not declined in non-attributive function and is declined in attributive function due to :
For more info about adjective declension.
The Partizip I can be isolated in the clause. If this is the case, it is not declined:
Es ist dringend
It is urgent
Das sieht wirklich spannend aus
That looks really fascinating
If the Partizip I is preceded by a definite article or by other particles that are characterized by weak declension, it is declined:
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
| Nominative | der dringende Termin | die dringende Entscheidung | das dringende Thema | die dringenden Entscheidungen |
| Accusative | den dringenden Termin | die dringende Entscheidung | das dringende Thema | die dringenden Entscheidungen |
| Dative | dem dringenden Termin | der dringenden Entscheidung | dem dringenden Thema | den dringenden Entscheidungen |
| Genitive | des dringenden Termins | der dringenden Entscheidung | des dringenden Themas | der dringenden Entscheidungen |
If the Partizip I is preceded by an indefinite article or by other particles that are characterized by mixed declension, it is declined in this way:
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
| Nominative | ein dringender Termin | eine dringende Entscheidung | ein dringendes Thema | einige dringenden Entscheidungen |
| Accusative | einen dringenden Termin | eine dringende Entscheidung | ein dringendes Thema | einige dringenden Entscheidungen |
| Dative | einem dringenden Termin | einer dringenden Entscheidung | einem dringenden Thema | einigen dringenden Entscheidungen |
| Genitive | eines dringenden Termins | einer dringenden Entscheidung | eines dringenden Themas | einiger dringenden Entscheidungen |
If the Partizip I is not preceded by any other article or is preceded by other particles that are characterized by strong declension, it is declined like this:
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
| Nominative | dringender Termin | dringende Entscheidung | dringendes Thema | dringende Entscheidungen |
| Accusative | dringenden Termin | dringende Entscheidung | dringendes Thema | dringende Entscheidungen |
| Dative | dringendem Termin | dringender Entscheidung | dringendem Thema | dringenden Entscheidungen |
| Genitive | dringendes Termins | dringender Entscheidung | dringendes Themas | dringender Entscheidungen |
Also known as “Partizip Perfekt” (past participle).
Its construction depends on the verb in question:
Regular verbs without a prefix
Construction: ge - (VERB STEM) -(e)t
| Infinitiv | Partizip II | Meaning |
| kauf-en | ge-kauf-t | to buy |
| regn-en | ge-regn-e-t | to rain |
An "-e-" is added to some verbs between the stem and the final "-t" (for more details, see the present indicative)
Regular verbs with separable prefix
Construction: (SEPARABLE PREFIX) - ge - (VERB STEM) -(e)t
| Infinitiv | Partizip II | Meaning |
| auf-rund-en | auf-ge-rund-e-t | to round up |
| ein-kauf-en | ein-ge-kauf-t | to go shopping |
Regular verbs with inseparable prefix
Construction : (inseparable prefix) - (verb stem) -(e)t
| Infinitiv | Partizip II | Meaning |
| be-nutz-en | be-nutz-t | to use |
| ent-wickel-n | ent-wickel-t | to develop |
Verbs ending with "-ieren"
Construction: (verb stem) -t
| Infinitiv | Partizip II | Meaning |
| studier-en | studier-t | to study (at the University) |
| rotier-en | rotier-t | (to rotate) |
Strong verbs
Most strong verbs follow the structure: ge-(VERB STEM) - en
| Infinitiv | Partizip II | Meaning |
| komm-en | ge-komm-en | to come |
| fahr-en | ge-fahr-en | to drive |
although a few other verbs do not follow this rule:
| Infinitiv | Partizip II | Meaning |
| sein | gewesen | to be |
| haben | gehabt | to have |
| werden | geworden | to become/to be |
In this link you can see the participles of the main irregular verbs.
1. The following verb tenses are used for its construction in the indicative as well as subjunctive:
2. It is used for all of the tenses in the passive voice
To end this article, we have Disney song for you which really touches us: "Die Schöne und das Biest" (Beauty and the Beast).