B1-27 · Turn an ongoing action into an adjective
Advertising
Form Partizip I with infinitive plus d and add adjective endings to describe people, products and slogans.
About 5 minutes to read · 13 quiz questions
01
An action happening now
Partizip I is formed from the infinitive plus d: lachen → lachend. Before a noun, it takes adjective endings. Der lachende Kunde means the customer who is laughing.
Der lachende Kunde steht auf dem Plakat.
The laughing customer appears on the poster.
Die wartende Kundin liest die Anzeige.
The waiting customer reads the advertisement.
Das leuchtende Schild fällt auf.
The glowing sign stands out.
Die spielenden Kinder erscheinen im Werbefilm.
The playing children appear in the commercial.
The participle describes an active or ongoing action. Compare der lachende Kunde with der Kunde lacht. It is not the past participle gelacht.
02
The ending follows the noun phrase
A participle before a noun follows the adjective rules you already know. Its core stays the same, but the ending changes with article, gender and case: ein lächelnder Mann, den lächelnden Mann.
Ein lächelnder Mann wirbt für die Marke.
A smiling man advertises the brand.
Die Anzeige zeigt einen lächelnden Mann.
The advertisement shows a smiling man.
Mit einer überzeugenden Idee beginnt die Kampagne.
The campaign begins with a convincing idea.
Ein überzeugendes Argument fehlt noch.
A convincing argument is still missing.
Lächeln means to smile. For verbs ending in -eln, the Partizip I form is lächelnd. Überzeugen means to convince; überzeugend can mean convincing.
03
Read an advertisement closely
Advertising often describes an effect with words such as überraschend, surprising, or ansprechend, appealing. These forms can be adjectives too. Ask which action or effect the participle expresses.
Der ansprechende Slogan bleibt im Gedächtnis.
The appealing slogan stays in the memory.
Wir prüfen die überraschenden Aussagen.
We examine the surprising statements.
Die Agentur sucht ein passendes Bild.
The agency is looking for a suitable image.
Mit dem steigenden Interesse wächst der Umsatz.
As interest rises, revenue grows.
A slogan can be ansprechend without proving a product's quality. Here, the language describes an invented advertising campaign. The participle's ending follows the noun phrase, not the slogan's message.
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