As you may know, German is famous for its impressively long nouns. In order for you to speak German successfully too, it is helpful to learn various patterns of word formation (derivation) and compounding.
If you feel overwhelmed, just relax, and imagine how impressive you will sound at the next party when such beauties as these roll easily off your tongue ...
Learning derivational patterns and compounding in German is also a practical way to expand your vocabulary.
Derivation
Derivation is the process of altering the original stems of words to form (i.e., derive) new words (by adding affixes) or new categories of words (e.g., an adjective from a noun or a verb).
I. Adding affixes (prefixes, suffixes, circumfixes) to word stems to form new words
Beispiel:sprechen (to speak)
Adding a prefix
Adding a suffix
Adding a circumfix (prefix and suffix)
prefix
=
be-
stem
=
sprech
prefix
=
be-
original
=
sprechen
suffix
=
+ t
suffix
=
-t
new word
=
besprechen
new word
=
sprecht
stem
=
sprech
new word
=
besprecht
discuss
you guys speak/talk
you guys discuss
die böse Königin
Was besprecht ihr denn so intensiv?
What are you guys discussing so intensely?
Schneewittchen
Wir besprechen die Details von unserem Rechtsstreit; Heidrun verklagt Disney, denn Hexen werden da immer noch so einseitig dargestellt!
We are discussing the details of our lawsuit; Heidrun is suing Disney, because witches are still portrayed so one-sidedly!
die böse Königin
Ach, darüber möchte auch ich mit dir sprechen, Schneewittchen! Es ist doch höchste Zeit, dass man von der Gleichberechtigung aller Märchenfiguren spricht!
Aha, I would also like to talk to you about that, Snow White! It's high time that we speak of equal rights for all fairy tale characters!
Schneewittchen
Eh ... das muss ich mir erst überlegen. Ich bin vielleicht nicht die beste Verteidigerin von bösen Königinnen.
Hmmm ... I'll have to think about that. I may not be the best defender of evil queens.
II. Changing word categories
Just as in English, there are several groups of endings that can help you expand your vocabulary by changing the way you use certain words.
For example, using the word (noun) Sprache, you can build at least 8 different new words:
Sprache
noun, feminine
speech
sprechen
verb, infinitive
speak
Sprecher
noun, masculine
speaker, spokesperson, announcer
Sprecherin
noun, feminine
speaker, spokesperson, announcer
Sprechen
noun, neuter
the act of speaking
sprachlos
adjective (-less) or adverb
speechless/speechlessly
As another example, here are the different words that can be formed from the verb verstehen.
verstehen
verb, infinitive
understand
Verstehen
noun, neuter
the act of understanding
Verständnis
noun, neuter
understanding, sympathy
Verstand
noun, masculine
reason
Verständigung
noun, feminine
understanding, agreement
verständlich
adjective (-lich) or adverb
understandable/understandably
verständnislos
adjective (-less) or adverb
uncomprehending/uncomprehendingly
verständnisvoll
adjective (-full) or adverb
understanding/understandingly
verständig
adjective (-ig) or adverb
reasonable, sensible/reasonably, sensibly
verständigen
verb, reflexive (sich)
make one's self understood
die alte Hexe
Babsi, ich habe halt Verständnis für deine Situation, aber sei verständig, wer hätte Mitleid mit einer bösen Königin?
Babsi, I have sympathy for your situation, I really do, but be sensible, who on earth would have sympathy for an evil queen?
die böse Königin
Und du sprichst gerade! Wer hat kleine Kinder gegessen? Huh? Wer hat Dornröschen umbringen wollen? Und wer hat Schneewittchen den giftigen Apfel wirklich angeboten? Huh?
And you should talk! Who ate little children, huh? Who wanted to kill Sleeping Beauty? And who really offered the poisoned apple to Snow White, huh?
die alte Hexe
Ich bin einfach sprachlos! Schneewittchen, glaub ihr kein Wort; mit dem giftigen Apfel hatte ich gar nichts zu tun. Ich schwöre!
I am simply speechless! Snow White, don't believe her; I had nothing to do with that apple. I swear!
Here is a quick overview of some of the endings you can add to words to create adjectives or adverbs, since in German, they both look the same. But do watch out for the different meaning! You can also use most participle forms of verbs as adjectives (die gebratene Hexe ..., der vergiftete Apfel ..., und so weiter).
-bar
-ible/able
lesbar (legible)
-d
-ing
sitzend (sitting)
-frei
-free/-less
koffeinfrei (caffeine free)
-haft
-ous/-ly
fabelhaft (marvelous)
-ig
-y
missmutig (grumpy)
-isch
-ic
problematisch (problematic)
-lich
-ual
pünktlich (punctual)
-los
-less
pietätlos (irreverent)
-sam
-y
langsam (slow/slowly)
-voll
-full
geheimnisvoll (full of secrets, mysterious)
Nouns can be formed with a handful of suffixes (e.g., -heit, -keit). These are the most common suffixes. This list is not meant to be exhaustive (although it may very well be exhausting):
-chen/-lein
diminutive suffixes
Mädchen (little girl)
-er
masculine person
Zauberer (magician)
-in
feminine person
Zauberin (female magician)
-heit
-ness
Gesundheit (health)
-keit
-ity
Ewigkeit (eternity)
-nis
-ing
Verständnis (understanding)
-schaft
-ship
Bürgerschaft (citizenship)
-tät
-ity
Formalität (formality)
-ung
-ing/-ity
Gleichberechtigung (equality)
Nouns can also be formed by making the infinitive into a noun (always neutral).
sehen (to see)
das Sehen
the act or concept of seeing
lesen (to read)
das Lesen
the act or concept of reading
Or by shortening the infinitive ... Sometimes the vowel will change; the noun will almost always be masculine.
streiten (to argue)
der Streit
argument
sprechen (to speak)
der Spruch
saying, such as a proverb or set expression
Finally, verbs can be formed with all the differentprefixes you have already learned about.
Compounding
Compounding is the process of joining two or more words together to form new words; in the case of the German language, the more the merrier (just read Mark Twain's A Tramp Abroad).
The difference between German and English compounds lies in the way they are written. While English compounds tend to be written as separate words, German compounds tend to be written as one (very) long word.
Here are some examples for the word sprechen; see if you can identify the components of the new compound nouns, adjectives, etc.:
die Sprechstunde
office hours, consultation session
die Sprachwissenschaft
linguistics (language science)
die Sprachschule
language school
der Sprachunterricht
language instruction
sprachbegabt
linguistically talented
das Sprichwort
proverb
die Sprachkenntnisse
language skills
German is a so-called 'left-branching' language, so compounds are created (and thus, are to be deciphered) backwards. In other words, the key information is the last component of the compound, with the preceding elements adding further information as you go leftwards. The gender of the compound noun, as a result, is determined by the last element of the compound:
die Lebensgefahr
=> die Gefahr (danger) + das Leben (life) + 's (possessive)
ergo: danger of one's life
die Altbauwohnung
=> die Wohnung (apartment) + der Bau (building) + alt (old)
ergo: an apartment in an old building
das Schlüsselerlebnis
=> das Erlebnis (experience) + der Schlüssel (key)
ergo: a key experience (one that can alter one's life)
die Straßenbahnhaltestelle
=> die Stelle (spot) + halten (stop) + die Bahn (track) + die Straße (street)
ergo: where the streetcar stops (tram stop)
You will encounter many a compound noun in German texts, and many of these will not be in your dictionary. Don't lose heart, decipher them backwards and hope for the best. :-) Eventually you will get a sense for these, and you will be able to understand them readily. Until then, enjoy the puzzle!