Learn negation, absolute superlative, and participles as adjectives in German
- Ananya
- Aug 4
- 3 min read
Learning German doesn't have to be complicated. In this guide, you'll learn three important grammar topics made easy:
1. Words for Negation in German
In German, you’ll often need to say things like “no one,” “nothing,” “never,” or “nowhere.” To do this, German uses negation words, which are negative forms of pronouns and adverbs.
Negative Forms of Indefinite Articles
German changes its articles when negating nouns:
Positive | Negative |
ein (a) | kein (none) |
eine | keine (none) |
ein | keine (none) |
Negative Pronouns and Adverbs
German has special negation words for people, things, time, and place. Here's a simple breakdown:
🧍♂️ Personen (People):
Positive | Negative |
jemand (someone) / alle (everyone) | niemand (no one) |
📦 Sachen (Things):
Positive | Negative |
etwas (something) / alles (everything) | nichts (nothing) |
⏰ Zeit (Time):
Positive | Negative |
schon/bereits (already) | noch nicht (not yet) |
schon/ bereits (ein)mal (already) | noch nie (not yet) |
immer (always) | nie / niemals (never) |
(immer) noch (still) | nicht mehr / nie mehr (not anymore / never again) |
📍 Ort (Place):
Positive | Negative |
irgendwo / überall (somewhere / everywhere) | nirgendwo / nirgends (nowhere) |
irgendwohin (to somewhere) | nirgendwohin (to nowhere) |
📝 Tip: These words are very common in everyday German, so learn them well!
2. The Absolute Superlative (Elativ)
The absolute superlative, or Elativ, is used to exaggerate how good, bad, big, or special something is. It does not compare things—it's just the strongest form of expression.
💬 Dialogue Example:
A: Hallo, wie war dein Urlaub?(Hello, how was your holiday?)
B: Der war super! Wir hatten schönstes Wetter.(It was great! We had the most beautiful weather.)
A: Und wie geht es deiner Familie?(And how’s your family?)
B: Danke, alles bestens.(Everyone’s doing fantastic, thanks for asking)
How to Use the Absolute Superlative?
1. Add strong adverbs before adjectives:
Words like:
sehr (very)
äußerst (extremely)
enorm (enormously)
extrem (extremely)
höchst (highly)
überaus (exceedingly)
Examples:
äußerst schönes Wetter – extremely nice weather
sehr spannende Abenteuer – very exciting adventures
enorm große Wohnung – enormously large apartment
extrem schnelle Lieferung – extremely fast delivery
höchst erfreuliche Nachricht – most pleasing message
2. Use prefixes like super-, hyper-, top-, and more:
Prefix | Example | Translation |
hyper- | hypermoderne Architektur | hypermodern architecture |
super- | supergünstiges Angebot | super cheap offer |
hoch- | hochbegabte Schüler | highly gifted pupils |
top- | topaktuelle Nachrichten | extremely up-to-date news |
feder- | aus federleichtem Material | made of feather-light material |
bild- | bildschöne Kleider | picture-perfect dresses |
3. Participles as Adjectives
In German, you can use participles (just like in English) as adjectives.
Partizip I (Present Participle)
Describes simultaneous actions (happening at the same time).Formed by adding -d to the infinitive of the verb.
Formation:
entspannen → entspannend (relaxing)
rauchen → rauchend (smoking)
weinen → weinend (crying)
➡️ Because it acts as an adjective, you need to add adjective endings based on gender, case, and number.
Example:
Sie genießt ein entspannendes Bad.(She enjoys a relaxing bath.)
entspannen = to relax
entspannend = relaxing
entspannendes = adjective form for a neuter noun ("ein Bad")
This applies in all tenses:
Sie hat gestern ein entspannendes Bad genossen.(She enjoyed a relaxing bath yesterday.)
Sie wird am Freitag ein entspannendes Bad genießen.(She will enjoy a relaxing bath on Friday.)
Partizip II (Past Participle)
Describes past actions or completed states.
Used like adjectives and looks like the past participle form (used in perfect tense).
Examples:
Das frisch renovierte Bad ist modern eingerichtet.(The freshly renovated bathroom is modernly furnished.)
Ich habe ein gebrauchtes Auto gekauft.(I have bought a used car.)
Type | Example | Translation |
Partizip I | Das weinende Kind ist in der Küche. | The crying child is in the kitchen. |
→ Action is happening now | The child is crying and in the kitchen. | |
Partizip II | Sie essen das gebratene Huhn. | They eat the roasted chicken. |
→ Action happened before | The chicken was roasted earlier. Now they eat it. |
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