Deutsch — Nominalization
German turns verbs and adjectives into nouns: the infinitive becomes a neuter noun (das Lesen, das Schwimmen), and an adjective becomes an abstract noun (das Gute, im Allgemeinen). A nominalized word takes an article and is written with a capital letter.
How it works
Nominalized infinitives are always neuter and take das: das Lesen ist wichtig, beim Schwimmen. Nominalized adjectives keep adjective endings and are usually neuter for abstract ideas (das Gute, das Neue) but can be masculine or feminine for people (der Alte, die Kranke). Fixed prepositional phrases like im Allgemeinen, im Großen und Ganzen also come from adjectives.
Examples
| Base word | Noun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| lesen | das Lesen | reading |
| schwimmen | das Schwimmen | swimming |
| essen | das Essen | eating / food |
| gut | das Gute | the good |
| neu | das Neue | the new (thing) |
| allgemein | im Allgemeinen | in general |
| krank | die Kranke / der Kranke | the sick person |
Good to know
Learners often forget the capital letter or the article. A nominalized word is a noun, so das Lesen and das Gute are capitalized, unlike the verb lesen or the adjective gut. Also watch adjective endings after nominalization: etwas Gutes, nichts Neues (with -es, not das Gute), since the ending depends on the preceding word.