Suffixes in German - Higher

• A suffix is a group of letters which are added to the end of a word to change its meaning or change part of speech.

  • For example, in English adding the suffix -less to the word help to create helpless changes the meaning of the original noun.

• Suffixes in German also work in this way. A suffix can change:

  • an adjective, adverb or verb into a noun
  • a noun into an adjective, adverb or verb.

Suffixes can be added to the end of some German words to change the meaning of a word.

The suffixes -chen and -lein can be added to a noun to create a diminutive form - a smaller version of something. It can also be added to show affection or cuteness. For example:

• das Brot bread → das Brötchen bread roll

• die Katze cat → das Kätzchen kitten, kitty

• der Bruder brother → das Brüderchen little brother, dear brother

If the vowels a, e, o or u are in the original noun, an umlaut is added in the diminutive form.

The ending -lein is not as common as -chen:

• der Tisch table → das Tischlein little table

• das Buch book → das Büchlein booklet

As with the suffix -chen, if the vowels a, e, o or u are in the original word, an umlaut is added in the diminutive form.

Remember:

• All nouns ending in -chen or -lein are neuter.

• They do not change in the plural form. For example:
  das Brötchen the bread roll, die Brötchen the bread rolls

• An umlaut is added if the vowels a, e, o or u are in the original noun.

Key diminutive forms of nouns

English nouns that end in -ty (eg necessity) or -ness (eg illness) can be formed by adding the suffixes -heit or -keit to an adjective, adverb, or noun.

• notwendig necessary → die Notwendigkeit necessity

• krank ill, sick → die Krankheit illness, sickness

• möglich possible → die Möglichkeit possibility

All nouns ending in -heit or -keit are feminine.

Key nouns:

Translate these sentences into English.

The suffix -los can be added to some nouns in German to create an adjective where the English equivalent means without or less:

• die Arbeit work → arbeitlos unemployed, without work

• die Kosten costs → kostenlos free, without cost

Key adjectives:

Translate these sentences into German:

Take this higher tier quiz on suffixes to check your understanding of the sentence.