German Grammar A–Z
Look up German grammar topics A–Z, organized by category and level — with clear explanations and examples.
Partizip I vs. Partizip II
In German, the topic of the present participle (Partizip I) and the past participle (Partizip II) is a familiar one. However, in some cases learners may confuse how the two participles are used. In today's article we will compare these two types of participles.
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Partizip I |
Partizip II |
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- Formation: infinitive verb + d Example: schlafen (Infinitiv) -> schlafend (Partizip I) rennen (Infinitiv) -> rennend (Partizip I) fahren (Infinitiv) -> fahrend (Partizip I) |
- Formation: it is the Partizip II in the structure of + the present perfect (Perfekt) + the past perfect (Plusquamperfekt) + the passive voice (Passiv). |
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- There are only two exceptions: sein → seiend, tun → tuend |
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- Partizip I can stand on its own in a sentence: Das ist überraschend! (How surprising!) Dein Verhalten war echt enttäuschend! (Your behavior was really disappointing!) |
- Partizip II is used in the stative passive (Zustandspassiv) Das Auto ist gebraucht. (The car has been used.) |
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- Partizip I can be used as an adjective to add meaning to the noun that follows it when two actions happen simultaneously and are active in nature. In this case, Partizip I takes adjective endings like an ordinary adjective: Der telefonierende Mann trinkt einen Kaffee. = Der Mann telefoniert und trinkt einen Kaffee. (The man who is making a phone call drinks a cup of coffee.) → Making a phone call and drinking coffee are active actions that take place at the same time. |
- Partizip II can be used as an adjective to add meaning to the noun that follows it when two actions do not happen simultaneously or are passive in nature. In this case, Partizip II takes adjective endings like an ordinary adjective: Ich kaufe das Haus. Es ist neu gebaut. = Ich kaufe das neu gebaute Haus. (I buy the newly built house.) → The action of buying takes place in the present, the action of building took place in the past. Also, the action of building is passive because a house cannot build itself. |
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- A sentence with Partizip I as an adjective adding meaning to a noun can be transformed into a relative clause: Der telefonierende Mann trinkt einen Kaffee. = Der Mann, der telefoniert, trinkt einen Kaffee. |
- A sentence with Partizip II as an adjective adding meaning to a noun can be transformed into a relative clause: Ich kaufe das neu gebaute Haus. = Ich kaufe das Haus, das neu gebaut ist. |
