Adjectives Used as Nouns
Adjectives Used as Nouns
German lets adjectives function as full nouns — capitalized, but still carrying ordinary adjective endings — a structure English mostly avoids, preferring to add a noun like 'person' or 'thing' instead.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
Nationality/description nouns: der Deutsche, die Deutsche, ein Deutscher
Der Deutsche kommt aus Berlin. Ein Deutscher kommt aus Berlin.
The German (man) comes from Berlin. A German (man) comes from Berlin.
Words like Deutsche(r), Kranke(r) ('sick person'), Erwachsene(r) ('adult'), Bekannte(r) ('acquaintance') look like ordinary nouns (capitalized) but decline exactly like adjectives, taking weak endings after a der-word and strong endings after an ein-word or no article at all: der Deutsche / ein Deutscher / die Deutsche / eine Deutsche. English has no parallel — it must add a noun ('a German person', 'the sick man') where German just capitalizes the adjective and declines it.
Neuter adjectival nouns describe abstract qualities: etwas Neues, das Gute
Das ist etwas Neues. Das Gute daran ist...
That's something new. The good thing about it is...
Neuter adjectival nouns describe an abstract quality rather than a person — das Gute ('the good [thing]'), das Beste ('the best [thing]'), etwas Neues ('something new'), nichts Besonderes ('nothing special'). After etwas, nichts, viel, and wenig, the adjectival noun takes the strong neuter ending -es (etwas Neues, nichts Interessantes) — a small, learnable rule rather than something to guess at each time.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| der/die Deutsche | dair/dee DOYT-sheh | the German (person) |
| der/die Kranke | dair/dee KRAHNK-eh | the sick person |
| der/die Erwachsene | dair/dee air-VAHK-seh-neh | the adult |
| der/die Bekannte | dair/dee beh-KAHN-teh | the acquaintance |
| der/die Fremde | dair/dee FREM-deh | the stranger |
| das Gute | dahs GOO-teh | the good (thing) |
| das Beste | dahs BES-teh | the best (thing) |
| etwas Neues | ET-vahs NOY-es | something new |
| nichts Besonderes | nikhts beh-ZON-deh-res | nothing special |
| der/die Reisende | dair/dee RY-zen-deh | the traveler |