The German Present Participle
- The Present Participle is so named because it relates to things occuring at this moment (in the present)
- Participles are used in place of clauses and as adjectives.
The Present Participle: Exampes
- „Der telefonierende Mann fährt Auto.“
- „Die laufende Frau hört Musik.“
- „Der vor der Tür stehende Mann, ruft nach dir.“
The Present Participle: Construction
Infinitive + d
| Infinitive | +d | Present Participle |
|---|---|---|
| schlafen | +d | schlafend |
| rennen | +d | rennend |
| fahren | +d | fahrend |
The only exception: sein ⇒ seiend
The Present Participle: Use
The present participle is used as an adjective (in place of a clause) when two actions occur simultaneously
Version with a participle:
- „Der telefonierende Mann fährt Auto.“
Version without a participle:
- „Der Mann, der telefoniert, fährt Auto.“
More about that topic in the lesson Participles as Adjectives
Comparison with the Past Participle
Present participle as an adjective: something is happening right now.
- „Der herunterfallende Apfel ist grün.“
- „Der Apfel fällt.“ „Der Apfel ist grün.“
Past participle as an adjective: something happened earlier.
- „Der heruntergefallene Apfel ist grün.“
- „Der Apfel ist heruntergefallen.“ „Er ist grün.“
Further Information
- There is a second participle: The Past Participle
- You need the participles for the construction of the Perfect Tense, the Past Perfect Tense (Plusquamperfekts) and the German Passive Voice.
- Participles can be used as adjectives as well: Participles as Adjectives
- Some special verbs with special rules are Modal Verbs, „Werden„ and „Lassen„.
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