The Participle in German (Partizip I and Partizip II)
There are 2 participles in German:
- Partizip I (Partizip Präsens)
- Partizip II (Partizip Perfekt)
Partizip I
Participle I, also known in German as "Partizip Präsens" (present participle).
Construction of Partizip I
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.
Use of the Partizip I
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 :
- Weak declension
- Mixed declension
- Strong declension
For more info about adjective declension.
Partizip I with a non-attributive function
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
Partizip I with weak declension
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 |
Partizip I with mixed declension
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 |
Partizip I with strong declension
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 |
Partizip II
Also known as “Partizip Perfekt” (past participle).
Construction of the Partizip II
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.
Use of the Partizip II
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
Audiovisual complement
To end this article, we have Disney song for you which really touches us: "Die Schöne und das Biest" (Beauty and the Beast).