In German, adjectives often take on distinctive endings that transform simple verbs into descriptors that carry nuanced meanings. These suffixes create adjectives that encapsulate potential, tendency, or state of being.
The suffix -bar is particularly versatile, forming adjectives that suggest something is possible or achievable. For instance, the verb tragen (to carry) becomes tragbar, which means "portable" or "able to be carried." Similarly, trinken (to drink) turns into trinkbar, translating to "drinkable." This ending, akin to the English suffix -able, as in "drinkable" or "portable," implies that the object or subject can undergo the action described by the verb.
Another suffix, -sam, tends to evoke qualities or characteristics that reflect the nature or behavior of the verb it stems from. The verb achten (to respect) becomes achtsam, meaning "attentive" or "mindful." Likewise, arbeiten (to work) transforms into arbeitsam, meaning "industrious" or "diligent." This -sam ending has a similar function to the English -some, seen in words like "tiresome" or "troublesome," where it imparts a sense of being full of or prone to a particular quality.
Further enriching the landscape of German adjectives is the suffix -ig, which often corresponds to the English -y. For example, the verb hassen (to hate) evolves into hassig, which can be rendered as "hateful" or "full of hate." Similarly, staunen (to marvel) becomes staunig, meaning "full of wonder" or "marvelous." This suffix injects a sense of abundance or sufficiency of a quality, much like -y does in "windy" or "stormy."
The -lich suffix is another common transformative ending, conveying a sense of likeness or possibility. It is frequently appended to verbs to create adjectives that resemble the action or state implied by the verb. For example, denken (to think) becomes denklich, meaning "thoughtful" or "contemplative." Similarly, lieben (to love) transforms into lieblich, which means "lovely" or "charming." This suffix functions somewhat like the English -ly in "friendly" or "lovely," though it leans more towards forming adjectives than adverbs.
Moreover, the suffix -haft brings with it a sense of having the nature or quality of the verb it stems from. The verb zweifeln (to doubt) turns into zweifelhaft, meaning "doubtful" or "questionable." Similarly, helden (to hero) morphs into heldenhaft, translating to "heroic." This ending, much like the English -ful, carries a sense of being filled with the quality denoted by the verb, as seen in words like "doubtful" or "painful."
The suffix -isch is also commonly used in German, usually to indicate something related to or characteristic of the base word. For example, kaufen (to buy) leads to kaufmännisch, meaning "commercial" or "businesslike." The English counterpart -ish as in "childish" or "foolish," shares a similar connotation of something being related to or possessing the quality of the root word.
Now you know how to read the adjective suffixes in German. As you just saw, through these suffixes, German enriches its descriptive capacity, allowing speakers to express complex ideas with a single, well-crafted word.