Participles let German pack a whole relative clause or adverbial clause into a few words. They are typical of written German and essential for reading at C1.
Both participles can stand before a noun and take normal adjective endings:
| Participle | Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partizip I | infinitive + -d | active, happening at the same time | die steigenden Preise (prices that are rising) |
| Partizip II (transitive verb) | ge- … -t / -en | passive, completed | das reparierte Auto (the car that has been repaired) |
| Partizip II (verb with sein) | ge- … -t / -en | active, completed | die gestiegenen Preise (prices that have risen) |
| modal participle | zu + Partizip I | must or can be done | die zu lösenden Aufgaben (tasks that must be solved) |
So steigende and gestiegene Preise are different: the first are still rising, the second have already risen.
Formal German puts extra information between the article and the participle. English uses a relative clause after the noun instead:
To read such a phrase, find the article, then jump to the noun, then read the participle, and only then the words in between. The article and the noun belong together, even if ten words separate them, and the article already tells you the gender and case of the whole phrase.
A participle can also form a short clause of its own, separated by a comma. It replaces a subordinate clause, and its subject is always the subject of the main clause:
These clauses are mainly used in written narrative and journalism. Since the main clause follows, its verb stays in position 2: the participial clause counts as position 1.
Many common phrases are participial constructions you can use in speech too: kurz gesagt (in short), genau genommen (strictly speaking), abgesehen davon (apart from that), offen gesagt (frankly), vorausgesetzt, dass … (provided that). Tips: in your own writing, keep extended attributes short; two or three words between article and participle are elegant, eight are hard to follow. And always check the adjective ending, which follows the same rules as for any other adjective: ein lebender Arzt, des lebenden Arztes, mit einer lachenden Frau.
| Not quite | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| die gestiegene Preise | die gestiegenen Preise | Participles take normal adjective endings: after die in the plural the ending is -en. |
| das gestern geliefertes Paket | das gestern gelieferte Paket | After das the participle takes the weak ending -e. |
| die noch zu klären Fragen | die noch zu klärenden Fragen | The modal participle is zu + Partizip I with an ending: zu klärenden. |
| Am Bahnhof angekommen, er rief seine Mutter an. | Am Bahnhof angekommen, rief er seine Mutter an. | The participial clause counts as position 1, so the verb comes next. |
1. Die ___ Preise machen vielen Familien Sorgen. (steigen, still happening)
2. Das gestern ___ Paket liegt im Flur. (liefern)
3. Die noch zu ___ Fragen besprechen wir morgen.
4. ___ in Mumbai, lebt sie heute in Köln.
5. Am Bahnhof ___, rief er seine Mutter an.
6. Er ist ein seit Jahren in Berlin ___ Arzt.
7. die von der Regierung geplante Reform = die Reform, ___
8. Kurz ___, das Projekt war ein Erfolg.
Related grammar: Extended participial attributes, Participles as adjectives, The modal participle (zu + Partizip I), Complex participial chains.
Back to the grammar reference or to the C1 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 C1 lessons · Extended participial attributes
