1. Introduction
This lesson covers three important topics in German grammar.
The first topic is place and direction adverbs. They show where something is, where a movement is going, or where it starts from.
The second topic is substantivization. This means using words from other parts of speech as nouns.
The third topic is compound nouns. These are nouns made from two or more words.
2. Place and direction adverbs
In German, place adverbs answer different questions.
| Question | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Wo? | where? | hier, dort, oben |
| Wohin? | where to? | dorthin, nach oben |
| Woher? | where from? | von dorther, von oben |
Adverbs answering Wo?
The question wo? is used when you speak about location.
| German adverb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| hier / da | here |
| dort | there |
| oben | upstairs / above / at the top |
| unten | downstairs / below / at the bottom |
| vorn | at the front |
| hinten | at the back |
| innen / drinnen | inside |
| außen / draußen | outside |
| links | on the left |
| rechts | on the right |
| irgendwo | somewhere |
| nirgendwo | nowhere |
- Das Buch liegt hier. - The book is lying here.
- Die Kinder spielen draußen. - The children are playing outside.
- Der Schlüssel ist irgendwo im Zimmer. - The key is somewhere in the room.
Adverbs answering Wohin?
The question wohin? is used when you speak about the direction of movement.
| German adverb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| dorthin | there / to that place |
| dahin | there / to that place |
| nach oben | upward |
| nach unten | downward |
| nach vorn | forward |
| nach hinten | backward |
| nach innen | inward |
| nach außen | outward |
| nach links | to the left |
| nach rechts | to the right |
| irgendwohin | somewhere / to some place |
| nirgendwohin | nowhere / to no place |
- Wir gehen nach links. - We are going to the left.
- Der Hund läuft nach draußen. - The dog runs outside.
- Ich stelle die Lampe dorthin. - I put the lamp there.
Adverbs answering Woher?
The question woher? is used when you speak about the starting point of a movement.
| German expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| von dorther | from there |
| daher | from there / therefore |
| von oben | from above |
| von unten | from below |
| von vorn | from the front |
| von hinten | from behind |
| von innen | from inside |
| von außen | from outside |
| von links | from the left |
| von rechts | from the right |
| irgendwoher | from somewhere |
| nirgendwoher | from nowhere |
- Der Wind kommt von Westen. - The wind comes from the west.
- Das Geräusch kommt von oben. - The noise comes from above.
- Er kommt von draußen. - He comes from outside.
3. Adverbs with hin and her
German often uses adverbs with the elements hin and her.
hin shows movement away from the speaker or toward a goal.
her shows movement toward the speaker or toward the center of the situation.
| With her | Meaning | With hin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| herunter | down toward here | hinunter | down toward there |
| herauf | up toward here | hinauf | up toward there |
| herein | in toward here | hinein | in toward there |
| heraus | out toward here | hinaus | out toward there |
| herüber | over here, to this side | hinüber | over there, to the other side |
In spoken German, short forms are common:
| Full form | Short form |
|---|---|
| herunter / hinunter | runter |
| herauf / hinauf | rauf |
| herein / hinein | rein |
| heraus / hinaus | raus |
| herüber / hinüber | rüber |
- Komm bitte herein. - Please come in.
- Er geht in den Garten hinaus. - He goes out into the garden.
- Wir gehen die Treppe hinauf. - We go up the stairs.
- Komm herüber! - Come over here!
4. Substantivization
Substantivization means forming or using a noun from a word that originally belongs to another part of speech.
A substantivized word is used like a noun:
- it is written with a capital letter;
- it can have an article;
- it can be declined;
- it can have singular or plural forms.
Substantivized adjectives and participles
Adjectives and participles can refer to people.
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| der Reiche | the rich man / a rich person |
| die Reiche | the rich woman |
| die Reichen | the rich people |
| der Bekannte | the male acquaintance |
| die Bekannte | the female acquaintance |
| die Bekannten | the acquaintances |
- Der Bekannte kommt heute. - The acquaintance is coming today.
- Die Reichen wohnen in dieser Gegend. - The rich live in this area.
These words keep adjective-like features. Their endings depend on the article, gender, number, and case.
Substantivized neuter adjectives
Adjectives can also refer to abstract ideas. Then they often appear in the neuter.
They are often used with etwas, nichts, viel, wenig, and alles.
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| etwas Neues | something new |
| nichts Interessantes | nothing interesting |
| viel Gutes | much that is good / many good things |
| wenig Wichtiges | little that is important |
| alles Schöne | everything beautiful |
- Ich habe etwas Neues gehört. - I heard something new.
- Dort gibt es nichts Interessantes. - There is nothing interesting there.
- Wir wünschen dir alles Gute. - We wish you all the best.
Substantivized numbers
Numbers can also become nouns.
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| die Drei | the three / grade three |
| die Sieben | the seven |
| die Zehn | the ten |
| das Hundert | the hundred |
| das Tausend | the thousand |
- Er hat eine Zwei bekommen. - He got a two as a grade.
- Die Sieben ist meine Glückszahl. - Seven is my lucky number.
- Das Tausend besteht aus zehn Hunderten. - One thousand consists of ten hundreds.
Substantivized infinitives
The infinitive of a verb can be used as a noun.
These nouns are usually neuter and are often used in the singular.
| Verb | Noun |
|---|---|
| essen | das Essen |
| leben | das Leben |
| wissen | das Wissen |
| benehmen | das Benehmen |
| lesen | das Lesen |
- Das Essen ist fertig. - The food is ready.
- Das Leben verändert sich. - Life changes.
- Das Lesen hilft beim Lernen. - Reading helps with learning.
5. Compound nouns
A compound noun consists of two or more words.
The main rule is: the last word determines the gender, number, and core meaning of the whole compound noun.
| Compound noun | Parts | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| der Apfelstrudel | der Apfel + der Strudel | apple strudel |
| der Neumond | neu + der Mond | new moon |
| die Selbstanalyse | selbst + die Analyse | self-analysis |
| das Sechseck | sechs + das Eck | hexagon |
| der Frühjahrsanfang | das Frühjahr + der Anfang | beginning of spring |
| das Abfahrtsdatum | die Abfahrt + das Datum | departure date |
The gender is determined by the last word:
- der Mond → der Neumond - moon → new moon
- die Analyse → die Selbstanalyse - analysis → self-analysis
- das Datum → das Abfahrtsdatum - date → departure date
Linking elements
In compound nouns, a linking element sometimes appears between the parts of the word.
Common linking elements include:
| Element | Example |
|---|---|
| -s- | der Frühjahrsanfang |
| -s- | das Abfahrtsdatum |
| -(e)n- | der Frauenfeind |
| -e- | der Hundekuchen |
The linking element helps connect the parts of the compound. You often have to learn it together with the word.
- Der Frühjahrsanfang ist im März. - The beginning of spring is in March.
- Das Abfahrtsdatum steht auf dem Ticket. - The departure date is on the ticket.
- Der Frauenfeind respektiert Frauen nicht. - The misogynist does not respect women.
6. Key points to remember
Place adverbs answer the question wo?
- Das Kind ist draußen. - The child is outside.
Direction adverbs answer the question wohin?
- Das Kind geht nach draußen. - The child goes outside.
Adverbs of origin answer the question woher?
- Das Kind kommt von draußen. - The child comes from outside.
hin usually shows movement toward a goal or away from the speaker.
her usually shows movement toward the speaker.
Substantivized words are written with a capital letter and used like nouns.
- etwas Neues - something new
- das Lesen - reading
In compound nouns, the last word determines the gender and the main meaning of the whole word.
- das Datum → das Abfahrtsdatum - date → departure date