Adjectives as nouns
Adjektive als Nomen
Adjectives as nouns are adjectives written with a capital letter and used like nouns, while still taking adjective endings: der Bekannte, etwas Neues.
Even after you turn an adjective into a noun, it keeps following the adjective-ending rules.
Right now: the adjective becomes a noun, the endings stay
ShortcutIn German you can turn an adjective (e.g. deutsch, bekannt) straight into a noun by starting it with a capital letter (der Deutsche, der Bekannte). But these words keep taking adjective endings.
- der Deutsche the German (definite) ADJECTIVE ENDING -E
- ein Deutscher a German (indefinite) ADJECTIVE ENDING -ER
- etwas Neues something new CAPITAL LETTER + ES
Er ist ein Bekannter von mir.
He’s an acquaintance of mine.
Ich spreche mit dem Bekannten.
I’m talking to the acquaintance.
You already do this in English (“the elderly”, “the rich”)
English drops the noun after an adjective too: instead of “the old people” we say “the elderly”, instead of “the poor people” just “the poor”. German does the same thing, only far more often, and it writes the word with a capital letter.
| English | German | Adjective ending |
|---|---|---|
| the adult (man) | der Erwachsene | Definite article → -e |
| an adult | ein Erwachsener | Masculine, with the indefinite article (ein) → -er |
| the adults (plural) | die Erwachsenen | Plural with definite article → -en |
One difference from English: “the elderly” never changes, but Erwachsene does. The last letters change with the article in front of it, exactly as in the adjective-ending table.
Das ist ein Erwachsene.
This is an adult (man).
Das ist ein Erwachsener.
This is an adult (man).
Table: using etwas, nichts and alles
After words that express an indefinite amount, adjectives become nouns and are written with a capital letter.
| Word | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| etwas / nichts | -es | etwas Neues (something new) |
| viel / wenig | -es | viel Gutes (a lot of good) |
| alles (everything) | -e | alles Gute (all the best) |
This one is very common: on birthdays people say “Alles Gute!” because alles takes the ending -e. etwas and nichts, on the other hand, take -es.
Ich wünsche dir alles Gutes.
I wish you all the best.
Ich wünsche dir alles Gute.
I wish you all the best.
Two places where people go wrong
Forgetting the ending
Ich fahre mit einem Deutscher.
The adjective ending has to stay.
Ich fahre mit einem Deutschen.
In the dative after an article (dem/einem), adjectives take -en.
etwas neues (lowercase)
Gibt es etwas neues?
Adjectives used as nouns can’t be written in lowercase.
Gibt es etwas Neues?
Is there anything new? (Capital letter and -es).
This is one of the places where written exams take off the most points.
What you just learned
Gibt es etwas ___?
Show the answer
Neues — After etwas the adjective starts with a capital letter and takes -es.
Die Angestellte müssen pünktlich sein. — this sentence has no grammar mistake.
Show the answer
False. In the plural (die) the adjective-noun must take -en: Die Angestellten.
Which one is spelled wrong?
Show the answer
etwas gutes. Adjectives used as nouns must always start with a capital letter.
The part nobody tells you: the most common ones
You can actually turn any adjective into a noun, but in everyday life these four turn up most: der Deutsche (the German), der Bekannte (the acquaintance), der Angestellte (the employee), der Erwachsene (the adult).
In Germany you keep running into these words on forms (especially Angestellter). Knowing that they are really adjectives will save you when you have to pick the ending.
Build the sentence yourself
Tap the words and put them in order. This is the hardest part of German — and there are no options to pick from, you build it.
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tap the words
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tap the words
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tap the words
Know this before the test
The core of the topic in three lines, then the mistakes people make most often.
- Adjectives used as nouns are capitalised like nouns
Adjectives are normally written in lowercase, but when they are used as nouns they start with a capital letter.
alt → der Alte, neu → etwas Neues
- They keep following the adjective-ending rules
They take the usual adjective endings (-e, -er, -en etc.), depending on the article in front and on the case.
ein Deutscher, der Deutsche, mit einem Deutschen
- etwas/nichts take -es, alles takes -e
An adjective after etwas, nichts, viel, wenig starts with a capital letter and takes -es. Only after alles does -e follow.
etwas Gutes, alles Gute
Ich wünsche dir alles Gutes.
Ich wünsche dir alles Gute.
etwas and nichts take -es, but alles takes only -e.
Er ist ein Deutsche.
Er ist ein Deutscher.
Used with the indefinite article (ein) for a man, the adjective has to take the ending -er.
Test yourself
Tap an answer — we will look at why together.
Sie ist (a German).
She is a German (woman).
Er ist (a German).
He is a German (man).
Ich habe mit einem gesprochen.
I spoke with an acquaintance.
Gibt es etwas ?
Is there anything new?
Ich wünsche dir alles zum Geburtstag!
Happy birthday (I wish you all the best).
Wir haben gestern (an adult) gesehen.
Yesterday we saw an adult (man).
Practice done — –
To finish the topic, take the full test: score 60% and it is marked as done on your level path.
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Adjectives as nouns worksheet
This whole page — tables, traps, examples — as one PDF. Download it, print it, run through it before the exam.
Related topics
Adjective endings
guter · gute · gutes · guten
German adjective endings are the letters an adjective takes when it stands in front of a noun: guter, gute, gutes, guten.
Nouns
das Haus · die Haustür
German nouns (Substantive) are the words that name things; they are always capitalised and carry a gender: das Haus, die Haustür.
Indefinite pronouns
man · jemand · etwas
Indefinite pronouns point to people or things without saying exactly who or what: man, jemand, etwas, alle.