Suffixes in German Adjectives I

Changing Nouns Into German Adjectives

By
Ingrid Bauer
Ingrid Bauer
German Language Expert
  • M.A., German Studies, McGill University
  • B.A., German and French
Ingrid Bauer, who is fluent in German, has been teaching and tutoring the German language since 1996. She has a teaching degree and an M.A. in German studies.
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Updated on November 04, 2019

Many German words can be converted into adjectives by adding suffixes. There are several options of suffixes that contribute to different meanings for adjectives. See below for ways that nouns can be changed into adjectives. See also Suffixes in German Adjectives II.

Suffix Possible Meaning Example
-haft to accentuate a specific trait Die Aufführung war sagenhaft./ The performance was marvelous
-los without Er ist schon seit Monaten arbeitslos./ He’s been unemployed for months.
-ig in a certain way Dieser Mann ist schläfrig./ This man is sleepy.
-isch of origin, belonging to; also added to some foreign words Ich bin italienisch; Der Junge ist autistisch/ I am italien; The boy is autistic.
lich a characteristic, in the manner of Ich finde das herrlich; Herzliche Grüβe/ I find that wonderful; Heartfelt Greetings.
-arm > lacking in seelenarm/ low, poor in spirit
-frei without arbeitsfrei / work-free
-leer without luftleer / air-free
-reich plenty vitaminreich/ vitamin-rich
-voll plenty eimervoll/ bucketfull
-fest something stable, solid wasserfest/ watertight
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Bauer, Ingrid. "Suffixes in German Adjectives I." ThoughtCo, Jan. 29, 2020, thoughtco.com/suffixes-in-german-adjectives-i-1444477. Bauer, Ingrid. (2020, January 29). Suffixes in German Adjectives I. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/suffixes-in-german-adjectives-i-1444477 Bauer, Ingrid. "Suffixes in German Adjectives I." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/suffixes-in-german-adjectives-i-1444477 (accessed June 8, 2023).