FluenDay Blog – Learn languages

Just like the nouns we mentioned in the earlier post, German adjectives also come with various suffixes. Imagine you’re at a party, trying to avoid alcohol and desperately searching for a non-alcoholic drink. Suddenly, you spot the word “alkoholfrei” and feel a wave of relief. The suffix “-frei” means “free from” or “without.” See? German adjective suffixes are also important for creating compound meanings, so let’s explore them in this blog!

What is the Suffix in German?

Adding suffixes to the end of a word root forms new words or modifies grammatical function. In German, they create nouns, verbs, adjectives, and more, providing various grammatical functions and meanings.

What are the Features of Adjective Suffixes in German?

1. Transforming into Adjectives: 

• Suffixes like “-lich” and “-lisch” form adjectives from nouns or other roots, often indicating a characteristic or quality.
  • Examples:
    • Der Freund (friend) → freundlich (friendly)
    • Der Monat (month) → monatlich (monthly)

2. Transforming into Adjectives: 

• German uses suffixes like “-haft,” “-arm,” and “-fest” to create adjectives that convey a more complex or nuanced meaning. These suffixes combine the root word’s meaning with their inherent meaning.
  • Examples:
    • Das Kind (child) → kindhaft (childlike)
    • Der Fehler (mistake) → fehlerarm (low in mistakes)
    • Das Wasser (water) → wasserfest (waterproof)

Common German Adjective Suffixes 

-isch

The suffix “-isch” is used to form adjectives that often indicate a relationship or similarity to the root word. It’s similar to the English suffix “-ish.”

Examples:

• Die Kunst (art) →  künstlerisch (artistic)
• Das Poem (poet) → poetisch (poetic)

-ig

The suffix “-ig” is used to form adjectives indicating a particular quality or characteristic related to the root word. It’s like the English suffix “-y.”

Examples:

• Die Sonne (sun) → sonnig (sunny)
• Der Freund (friend) → freundlich (friendly)
• Die Erde (earth) → erdig (earthy)

-lich

The suffix “-lich” can create adjectives that describe a characteristic or feature of the root word. It is comparable to the English suffix “-ly.”

Examples:

• Der Monat (month) → monatlich (monthly)
• Das Jahr (year) → jährlich (yearly)
• Die Gefahr (danger) → gefährlich (dangerous)

-arm

The suffix “-arm” denotes a lack or scarcity of the root word. It is akin to the English suffix “-poor” or the phrase “low in.”

Examples:

• Die Energie (energy) → energiearm (low in energy)
• Der Fehler (mistake) → fehlerarm (low in mistakes)
• Die kalorie (calorie) → kalorienarm (low in calories)

-fest

The suffix “-fest” indicates resistance or immunity to the root word, similar to the English suffix “-proof.”

Examples:

• Das Wasser (water) → wasserfest (waterproof)
• Das Licht (light) → lichtfest (lightproof)
• Das Feuer (fire) → feuerfest (fireproof)

-haft

The suffix “-haft” is used to form adjectives that denote a characteristic or quality resembling the root word. It is similar to the English suffix “-like.”

Examples:

• Das Kind (child) → kindhaft (childlike)
• Der Held (hero) → heldhaft (heroic)
• Die Verantwortung (responsibility) → verantwortungshaft (responsible)

-frei

The suffix “-frei” means “free from” or “without,” similar to the English “-free.”

Examples:

• Der Zucker (sugar) → zuckerfrei (sugar-free)
• Der Rauch (smoke) → rauchfrei (smoke-free)
• Der Stress (stress) → stressfrei (stress-free)

-artig

The suffix “-artig” indicates resemblance or similarity, akin to the English suffix “-like.”

Example:

• Der Traum (dream) → traumartig (dreamlike)

-bar

The suffix “-bar” signifies the potential or capability of the root word, similar to the English suffix “-able” or “-ible.”

Examples:

• essen (to eat) → essbar (edible)
• trinken (to drink) → trinkbar (drinkable)
• sehen (to see) → sichtbar (visible)

-leer

The suffix “-leer” denotes emptiness or the absence of the root word, similar to the English suffix “-less.”

Examples:

• Die Menschen (people) → menschenleer (deserted)
• Der Inhalt (content) → inhaltsleer (meaningless)

-voll

The suffix “-voll” indicates fullness or abundance of the root word, similar to the English suffix “-ful.”

Examples:

• Die Hoffnung (hope) → hoffnungsvoll (hopeful)
• Die Angst (fear) → angstvoll (fearful)
• Die Liebe (love) → liebevoll (loving)

One Last Thing…

Are you feeling more confident with German now? If you want to level up your German to the next level, check out the FluenDay app! Click here to get the app for free now!