C1 · Extended attributes

die von der Regierung beschlossenen Maßnahmen

a participle phrase before the noun: done to it

FormArtikel + (von …, Ort, Zeit) + Partizip II + Endung + Nomen

Meaning and usage

German can put a whole relative clause in front of a noun. die von der Regierung beschlossenen Maßnahmen means the same as die Maßnahmen, die von der Regierung beschlossen wurden: the measures the government decided on. Everything between the article and the noun belongs to the noun, and the Partizip II stands last, right before the noun, with an ordinary adjective ending.

To read one, go from the article straight to the noun, then back to the participle. A Partizip II says something was done to the noun: der bei dem Unfall verletzte Mann is the man who was injured in the accident. The rest (von der Regierung, bei dem Unfall) is detail. The participle never moves away from the noun: the detail always comes first.

Examples 5

Test yourself

  1. 1 Sprachbausteine

    Ich habe gestern das Buch gelesen.

    Show answer

    Correct answer: von dir empfohlene

    You recommended the book, so it had something done to it: Partizip II. The participle stands right before Buch, von dir comes in front of it, and after das the ending is -e: das von dir empfohlene Buch.

    • von dir empfehlende empfehlende is a Partizip I: it would mean the book is doing the recommending.
    • empfohlene von dir The participle must stand right before the noun, so von dir has to come in front of it.
    • von dir empfohlenen After das, a neuter noun in the singular takes -e, not -en.

In this topic: Extended attributes

  1. die von der Regierung beschlossenen Maßnahmen a participle phrase before the noun: done to it
  2. das auf dem Sofa schlafende Kind a participle phrase before the noun: the noun does it
  3. der für den Fall verantwortliche Richter an adjective with its phrase before the noun

Example sentences from Tatoeba, used under CC BY 2.0 FR. See sources.

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