Adjectives Used as Nouns
संज्ञा की तरह इस्तेमाल होने वाले विशेषण
German lets adjectives function as full nouns — capitalized, but still taking regular adjective endings. Hindi also sometimes uses an adjective like 'बूढ़ा' directly as a noun, without adding 'व्यक्ति', so this idea isn't entirely unfamiliar.
Grammar Comparison
व्याकरण तुलना
Nationality/description nouns: der Deutsche, die Deutsche, ein Deutscher
Der Deutsche kommt aus Berlin. Ein Deutscher kommt aus Berlin.
वह जर्मन (आदमी) बर्लिन से आता है।
Words like Deutsche(r), Kranke(r) ('sick person'), Erwachsene(r) ('adult'), Bekannte(r) ('acquaintance') look like ordinary nouns (capitalized), but change form exactly like adjectives, taking the weak ending after a der-word and the strong ending after an ein-word or no article: der Deutsche / ein Deutscher / die Deutsche / eine Deutsche. Hindi's "बूढ़ा" (directly meaning 'old man') uses this idea to some extent too — the adjective itself becomes the noun, with no extra word added. German just marks it with capitalization and keeps it fully in adjective form.
Neuter adjectival nouns express abstract qualities: etwas Neues, das Gute
Das ist etwas Neues. Das Gute daran ist...
यह कुछ नया है। इसमें अच्छी बात यह है कि...
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 each time.
Vocabulary
शब्दावली
| German | Pronunciation | Hindi | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| der/die Deutsche | dair/dee DOYT-sheh | जर्मन (व्यक्ति)jarman (vyakti) | the German (person) |
| der/die Kranke | dair/dee KRAHNK-eh | बीमार व्यक्तिbīmār vyakti | the sick person |
| der/die Erwachsene | dair/dee air-VAHK-seh-neh | वयस्कvayask | the adult |
| der/die Bekannte | dair/dee beh-KAHN-teh | परिचितparicit | the acquaintance |
| der/die Fremde | dair/dee FREM-deh | अजनबीajnabī | the stranger |
| das Gute | dahs GOO-teh | अच्छी बातacchī bāt | the good (thing) |
| das Beste | dahs BES-teh | सबसे अच्छी बातsabse acchī bāt | the best (thing) |
| etwas Neues | ET-vahs NOY-es | कुछ नयाkuch nayā | something new |
| nichts Besonderes | nikhts beh-ZON-deh-res | कुछ खास नहींkuch khās nahīñ | nothing special |
| der/die Reisende | dair/dee RY-zen-deh | यात्रीyātrī | the traveler |