The German language is known for its exceptionally long compound words that pack a lot of meaning into a lot of letters. The language allows you to attach any number of words to create a highly specific term, and German suffixes follow the same concept. As you encounter new German words at work or challenge yourself to grow your vocabulary list, understanding the meaning of common suffixes will come in handy.
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What is a suffix in German?
A German suffix is a short series of letters that attach to the end of a German adverb, noun, adjective, or other part of speech to change the meaning of that word. It’s sort of the opposite of a German prefix, which is tacked on at the beginning of a word. This is the same grammar concept used in English and many other languages that use affixes (prefixes or suffixes).
For example, the suffix -los, meaning “without,” alters the meanings of different German words:
- Arbeit = work → arbeitslos = unemployed (without work)
- Hoffnung = hope → hoffnungslos = hopeless (without hope)
- verantwortlich = responsible → verantwortungslos = irresponsible (without responsibility)
Note that the extra letter s before the suffix -los in all of these examples is part of the main word and not part of the suffix. This is an example of a genitive linking structure that the German language uses to make the pronunciation of the overall term smoother. It shows the relationship of -los to the rest of the term.
Why German suffixes matter in everyday language
German suffixes matter in everyday conversation because they’re as much a part of the meaning of a word as the base word itself. The meaning of the suffix is integral to understanding the meaning of the word. Avoiding suffixes will keep you from incorporating beautiful terminology like Waldeinsamkeit, which uses the suffix -keit to refer to “the state of” being alone in the wilderness.
German suffixes can change a word’s grammatical gender
Suffixes not only change the meaning of German words, but also can change their grammatical gender or assign a gender to parts of speech that previously were not nouns. There are three grammatical genders in the German language: maskulin (masculine), feminin (feminine), and neuter (neuter). Even inanimate objects can be considered maskulin or feminine, so be careful not to assume when it comes to gender in the German language!
These examples of German suffixes assign a particular grammatical gender to terms that didn’t have one when they were another part of speech, or they change the gender of nouns that already have one.
- fahren = to drive → der Fahrer = the driver (masculine)
- The suffix -er turns a verb into a masculine noun.
- der Lehrer = the (male) teacher → die Lehrerin = the (female) teacher
- Ending the previously masculine noun with -in transforms it into a feminine noun.
- der Hahn = the rooster → das Hähnchen = the chick (the little chicken, neuter)
- Adding the suffix -chen not only made the initial noun smaller, but it also transformed the noun from a masculine term to a neuter one.
If you can’t remember what gender a given noun has in German, you can slap on an appropriate German suffix whose gender you do remember!
German suffixes for nouns you’ll use every day
While you fill your linguistic toolbox with German nouns, you might notice that several of them share the same ending. This isn’t a coincidence, but rather an intentional addition of a German suffix to change a word’s meaning.
| German Suffix | Meaning | Typical Gender | Example Word |
| -chen | makes things smaller or cuter | neuter | das Mädchen (girl) |
| -ei | the profession of, a recurrence, or an ongoing action | feminine | die Fleischerei (the butcher shop) |
| -er | male person doing an action or occupation | masculine | der Mechaniker (male mechanic) |
| -heit | states of being | feminine | die Freiheit (freedom) |
| -in | female form of a person or occupation | feminine | die Ärztin (female doctor) |
| -ismus | ideologies, movements, systems | masculine | der Kapitalismus (capitalism) |
| -keit | states of being | feminine | die Möglichkeit (possibility) |
| -kunde | the science of | feminine | die Naturkunde (natural history) |
| -kunft | arriving/coming | feminine | die Wiederkunft (the return) |
| -lein | makes things smaller or cuter | neuter | das Buchlein (little book) |
| -ling | a kind of | masculine | der Schreiberling (the scribbler) |
| -ner | the profession of a male person | masculine | der Bildner (the educator) |
| -nis | states, results, or abstract nouns | neuter | das Ergebnis (result) |
| -sal | the essence of | feminine | die Drangsal (suffering) |
| -schaft | collectives or groups of | feminine | die Freundschaft (friendship) |
| -stück | a piece of, coin of a currency | neuter | das Centstück (cent coin) |
| -ung | action, process, or result | feminine | die Zeitung (the newspaper) |
4 Common German suffixes for verbs
Just like in English, you can attach certain suffixes to German verbs to create new terms, and there are many fewer derivational suffixes for verbs in German. By spotting the common verb suffixes in German, you’ll have a much easier time decoding what a new verb means without having to look it up in a dictionary or online.
| German Suffix | Meaning | Example Word |
| -ieren | creates verbs from non-verb parts of speech | studieren (to study) |
| -eln | everyday actions | handeln (to handle) |
| -ern | often frequentative or repeated actions | ändern (to change) |
| -isieren | makes verbs from abstract nouns | realisieren (to realize) |
Tips for navigating tenses and conjugation with German verb suffixes
If you’re familiar with German conjugation, you might wonder why the different endings a verb uses to agree with other parts of the sentence grammatically aren’t included in the table above. The truth is, verb endings that are a result of conjugation are technically suffixes, but not in the way the other suffixes covered here are.
Verb endings like -st or -en are what’s known as inflectional suffixes, which change the form of a verb without changing its inherent meaning. The other suffixes covered in the charts above are called derivational suffixes, which are endings that change the meaning of the word entirely. While you first begin studying German suffixes, you should categorize verb endings like these as a separate subject to avoid bogging yourself down in grammar.
Types of verbs that don’t use German suffixes and why
Certain kinds of verbs do not use suffixes in German. For example, separable verbs in German don’t use suffixes, but they do use prefixes. Also, modal verbs in German, such as können (can, to be able to) and müssen (must, have to), never use suffixes. This is because they’re used as helping verbs that modify other verbs in a sentence. In this way, modal verbs are similar to German suffixes, but they don’t attach to another word directly as suffixes do.
Common suffixes for German adjectives
German suffixes can make adjectives even more descriptive without the need for extra terms. In the case of German adjectives, suffixes are critical for understanding what the term means, as some endings negate the adjective entirely.
For example, you can call something “pointless” in English, wherein the ending “-less” means “without,” resulting in a term meaning “without point.”
| German Suffix | Meaning | Example Word |
| -abel | able to | akzeptabel (acceptable) |
| -ähnlich | similar to | schlangenähnlich (snake-like) |
| -artig | in a certain way | andersartig (different) |
| -bar | can be done | heilbar (curable) |
| -gemäß | appropriate for something | ordnungsgemäß (proper, orderly) |
| -isch | forms adjectives out of characteristics | heldisch (heroic) |
| -los | without | ahnungslos (clueless) |
| -maßig | with regard to | wohnungsmaßig (relating to the home) |
| -reich | rich in | wortreich (wordy) |
| -wert | worthy of | nennenswert (noteworthy) |
| -willig | willing to | reisewillig (willing to travel) |
Frequently asked questions about German suffixes
The concept of suffixes in German is pretty easy for most language learners to understand because they’re used similarly in many languages. But there are some important nuances to keep in mind with German suffixes, specifically.
Do German suffixes always determine gender?
Suffixes almost always determine the gender of a German noun when applied to it. Because certain suffixes are always of a specific gender, you can add them to nouns whose gender you might not remember in a pinch to make sure you’re grammatically correct. Certain German suffixes, like -tum or -s don’t always form a noun into one gender, however, so be on the lookout for the exceptions to the rule!
How do suffixes interact with German compound nouns?
For German compound nouns, only suffixes attached to the end of the very last term in the compound noun alter the overall word grammatically. This last element of the term will determine the gender and meaning of the whole word. For example, in die Freundschaftsbeziehung (friendship relationship), the suffix -ung makes the entire compound noun feminine. Earlier parts of a compound German may have suffixes as well, but they won’t affect the overall term grammatically.
Do German suffixes always have a one-to-one equivalent in English?
No, not all German suffixes have one-to-one equivalents in English. Some suffixes, like -ismus, which translates to “-ism” in English, are easy to compare between the languages, but others don’t have a perfect match. For example, -schaft, as in Freundschaft (friendship), doesn’t always translate to “-ship” in English. Therefore, it’s best to learn what suffixes mean in German rather than attempting to find patterns with English endings.
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