11.3 Compound nouns

PASTPARTICIPLES used as nouns indicate persons who have done something or had something done to them, or things which have been done:

der/die Zugezogene der/die Verlobte das Vereinbarte

new resident fiancé(e) something agreed

The ease with which compound nouns can be formed is a characteristic of German, and the use of compounds has increased over the last hundred years, so that even complex words like Fahrpreisermäßigung (fare reduction)or Autobahnraststätte (motorway service station/ restaurant) are in everyday use.

Almost any part of speech can combine with a NOUN to form a compound. Compounds always have the GENDER of the last element:

noun noun das Haar die Bürste → die Haarbürste hairbrush adjective noun edel der Stein → der Edelstein jewel numeral noun drei der Fuß → der Dreifuß tripod verb noun hören der Saal → der Hörsaal lecture theatre preposition noun unter die Tasse → die Untertasse saucer adverb noun jetzt die Zeit → die Jetztzeit present day

Many noun noun compounds need a linking element:

-e- das Pferd der Stall → der Pferdestall stable -(e)s- das Kalb das Leder → das Kalbsleder calf leather -(e)n- die Scheibe der Wischer → der Scheibenwischer windscreen wiper -er- das Kind der Garten → der Kindergarten kindergarten

There are no fixed rules as to when you use one of these linking elements and you need to learn the link with each word.

Although German forms compound nouns very readily, you need to be aware that you cannot simply put any two words together. A compound always indicates a type of something, so Krankenhaus is a type of Haus, and Schreibtisch a type of Tisch. But a compound like *Blauhimmel for ‘blue sky’ is not possible, because it is nota type of Himmel – it simply describes the sky, so you have to use the adjective with the noun as in English: der blaue Himmel.

In particular, ADJECTIVE NOUN compounds are quite restricted and tend to have special meanings which are not just the sum of their parts. In this way, eine Großstadt is something