German creates new words every year, and it does so with a small set of reliable processes. Once you know them, you can understand words you have never seen and inflect them correctly.
A neologism (Neologismus or Neuwort) is a word that is new in the language or a new meaning for an old word. German uses these processes:
| Process | Example | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| compounding | Homeoffice-Tag, Lieferdienst, Klimaanlage | existing words joined; the last part decides gender and meaning |
| derivation | Digitalisierung, entfreunden, klimaneutral | prefixes and suffixes added to existing words |
| short words | Kita, Azubi, Uni, E-Auto | clipping or first syllables of a longer word |
| blends | jein (ja + nein), Denglisch (Deutsch + Englisch) | parts of two words merged |
| borrowing | chillen, liken, das Meeting, der Lockdown | mostly from English, then inflected as German |
| new meaning | teilen (on social media), Maus (computer mouse) | old word, new use |
Each year the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache chooses a Wort des Jahres, which often shows these processes at work.
Some words look English but are used differently, or not at all, in English. They are German creations from English material:
Speakers of Indian English should be careful: these words do not help in English conversations, and an English speaker may not understand them.
New words are fitted into German grammar almost immediately.
Borrowed verbs take the ending -en and form the participle with ge- and -t: chillen – gechillt, liken – gelikt, googeln – gegoogelt, streamen – gestreamt. Verbs with an English prefix vary: downloaden has the participles downgeloadet and gedownloadet, but most people simply say heruntergeladen.
Nouns need a gender. It often follows the German equivalent (die Mail like die Post), the suffix (-ung is always feminine: die Digitalisierung) or the form (infinitives become neuter: das Recyceln). Some genders are still unsettled or regional: der or das Blog, die or (in Austria and Switzerland) das E-Mail.
Borrowed nouns usually take -s: die Selfies, die Handys, die Laptops. Words ending in -y keep the y: die Partys, not Parties.
| Not quite | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| die Handies | die Handys | German loan words ending in -y simply add -s. |
| Ich habe das gegooglet. | Ich habe das gegoogelt. | googeln is a German verb; the participle is gegoogelt. |
| der Digitalisierung ist wichtig | die Digitalisierung ist wichtig | Nouns ending in -ung are always feminine. |
1. Am Wochenende haben wir einfach nur ___.
2. Gestern habe ich dein Foto ___.
3. Ich habe das Rezept schnell ___.
4. How was the word Kita (Kindertagesstätte) formed?
5. The German word Handy is:
6. ___ Digitalisierung verändert die Arbeitswelt.
7. The word jein is:
8. What is the plural of das Selfie?
Related grammar: Compound nouns and linking elements, Word formation with prefixes, Word formation with suffixes, Gender-inclusive forms.
Back to the grammar reference or to the C2 lessons.
Original practice questions written by the Desi European Tales editorial team; they are not the official exam questions. Checked 1 November 2026.
Related: German grammar reference · German C2 lessons · Compound nouns and linking elements
