In German, we often come across nouns, adjectives and verbs with similar structures. In today's article we will learn about adjectives derived from nouns and how these adjectives are formed.

To form an adjective from a noun, we simply add a suffix after the noun.

1. Suffix -ig

- Some one-syllable adjectives need an Umlaut

• die Farbe – farbig (colored)

• die Sonne – sonnig (sunny)

• der Schmutz – schmutzig (dirty)

• die Kraft – kräftig (strong)

2. Suffix -lich

- We use the suffix -lich when talking about how often something occurs or about someone's property. Words with only one syllable containing a, o, u must take an Umlaut.

• der Tag ⇒ täglich ⇒ jeden Tag (daily)

• der Monat ⇒ monatlich ⇒ jeden Monat (monthly)

3. Suffix -isch

Applies to nouns denoting nationality, except nouns ending in -e or -er

• der Spanier – spanisch (Spaniard)

• der Russe – russisch (Russian)

• der Japaner – japanisch (Japanese)

Other cases:

• Europa – europäisch (European)

• der Neid – neidisch (envious)

• das Kind – kindisch (childish)

4. Suffix -haft

• der Traum – traumhaft (dreamlike)

• der Fehler – fehlerhaft (faulty)

• die Sage – sagenhaft (amazing, unbelievable)

5. Suffix -los

- With the suffix -los, the adjective expresses that something does not exist. In some cases, an s must be added before the suffix -los.

• die Arbeit – arbeitslos (ohne Arbeit - unemployed)

• der Sinn – sinnlos (ohne Sinn - meaningless)

• der Erfolg – erfolglos (ohne Erfolg - unsuccessful)

6. Suffix -sam

• die Arbeit – arbeitsam (hardworking)

• die Gewalt – gewaltsam (violent)

• die Mühe – mühsam (laborious, difficult)

7. Suffix -bar

• das Wunder – wunderbar (wonderful)

• die Furcht – furchtbar (terrible)

8. Suffix -al

• die Nation – national (national)

• die Emotion – emotional (emotional)

9. Suffix -arm

- The suffix -arm expresses that there is very little of something.

• Fett - fettarm (low in fat)

• Kalorie - kalorienarm (low in calories)

• Vitamin - vitaminarm (poor in vitamins)

10. Suffix -frei

- The suffix -frei expresses that something does not contain something.

• Fett - fettfrei (fat-free)

• Zucker - zuckerfrei (sugar-free)

• Fehler - fehlerfrei (error-free)

11. Suffix -reich

- The suffix -reich expresses that there is a lot of something.

• Erfolg - erfolgreich (full of success, successful)

• Vitamine - vitaminreich (rich in vitamins)