B2-78 · Describe products with compound adjectives
Design and fashion
Build compound adjectives from a noun and an adjective, use the linking s where needed and describe colours and trends precisely.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
Noun plus adjective in one word
German often joins a noun and an adjective into one compound adjective. The adjective at the end carries the main meaning and any ending: umweltfreundlich means friendly to the environment, wasserdicht means tight against water. Write the compound as one word.
| meaning | parts | compound |
|---|---|---|
| environmentally friendly | Umwelt + freundlich | umweltfreundlich |
| waterproof | Wasser + dicht | wasserdicht |
| easy to care for | Pflege + leicht | pflegeleicht |
| knee-length | Knie + lang | knielang |
Das Label verkauft umweltfreundliche Kleidung.
The label sells environmentally friendly clothing.
Der Stoff ist hautfreundlich und pflegeleicht.
The fabric is kind to the skin and easy to care for.
Die Jacke ist wasserdicht und trotzdem federleicht.
The jacket is waterproof and yet as light as a feather.
Sofia trägt einen knielangen Rock in Dunkelblau.
Sofia is wearing a knee-length skirt in dark blue.
Before a noun only the end of the compound changes: umweltfreundliche Kleidung, einen knielangen Rock. Hautfreundlich means kind to the skin and federleicht as light as a feather. Das Label is a fashion brand; the brands here are fictional.
02
Compounds with a linking s
Some compounds need a linking s between the noun and the adjective. It always appears after nouns ending in -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -tät or -ion: verantwortungsbewusst. Some other nouns take it too, such as Arbeit and Alltag: arbeitsintensiv, alltagstauglich. Many nouns join directly: umweltbewusst, kostengünstig.
Immer mehr Menschen kaufen umweltbewusst ein.
More and more people shop in an environmentally conscious way.
Handgemachte Taschen sind arbeitsintensiv und deshalb teuer.
Handmade bags are labour-intensive and therefore expensive.
Ein verantwortungsbewusstes Unternehmen zahlt faire Löhne.
A responsible company pays fair wages.
Secondhandkleidung ist eine kostengünstige Alternative zu neuer Kleidung.
Second-hand clothing is an inexpensive alternative to new clothing.
Learn each compound as a whole word, because the linking s is not always predictable. Bewusst means conscious, intensiv intensive and günstig inexpensive. Der Lohn means wage and die Herstellung production.
03
Write about trends
Fashion reports use compound adjectives to describe colours and qualities briefly. Colour compounds with hell- and dunkel- are written as one word: hellgrau, dunkelgrün. Before a noun they take the normal adjective endings.
Die neue Kollektion setzt auf hellgraue und dunkelgrüne Töne.
The new collection relies on light-grey and dark-green shades.
Die Taschen sind aus recyceltem Material und absolut alltagstauglich.
The bags are made of recycled material and perfectly suitable for everyday use.
Fast Fashion ist billig, aber alles andere als umweltfreundlich.
Fast fashion is cheap but anything but environmentally friendly.
Der Mantel ist ein Klassiker: zeitlos, wetterfest und federleicht.
The coat is a classic: timeless, weatherproof and as light as a feather.
Alltagstauglich means suitable for everyday use, wetterfest weatherproof and zeitlos timeless. Die Kollektion means collection, der Ton shade and recycelt recycled. Alles andere als means anything but.
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