In German, we come across the verb essen and the noun Das Essen; they look identical because the noun das Essen is a noun derived from the verb essen. There are also many other nouns derived from verbs. In today's article we will explore this topic together.

- When can a verb be nominalized? When the infinitive verb is preceded by:

1. An article: Das Montieren macht ihm Spaß.(He enjoys assembling.)

2. A preposition: Im Tanzen finde ich Erfüllung. (I find fulfillment in dancing.)

3. A possessive pronoun/indefinite pronoun/demonstrative pronoun: Dein Warten hat sich gelohnt. (Your waiting was worthwhile.)

4. An adjective: Lautes Lachen mag er nicht. (He does not like loud laughter.)

5. Durch or ohne: Erfolg durch Lernen. (Success through learning.)

Erfolg ohne Lernen. (Success without needing to learn.)

- Ways of turning verbs into nouns:

1. Infinitive verb + article „das“

kochen – das Kochen

schwimmen – das Schwimmen

1. Infinitive verb with the ending -en removed + article „der“

laufen – der Lauf

schlafen – der Schlaf

schreien – der Schrei

1. Infinitive verb with the ending -en removed + add the ending: -ung, -nis, -ion, -e, -er

kündigen – die Kündigung

erlauben – die Erlaubnis

informieren – die Information

!!! Tip: The ending of the noun tells you which article will be used:

„-ung“ – article „die”

„-er“ – article „der”