Posted by First and foremost, having learnt quite a number of verbs and nouns brings one closer to being a better German student. However, for the business/professional world or formal setting in German speaking countries, it is important that one uses specific nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs etc., that are not too basic which in this case would be termed “compound words”.
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| 1. What are compound words? 2. Compound words vs. alternative verbs 1 3. Compound words vs. alternative Verbs 2 3.1 When it is the verb conjugate 3.2 When it is the infinitive |
What Is A Compound Word?
A compound word alias noun verb is a unit combination of a noun/pronoun/adjectives with a verb which may slightly or entirely alter their individual meaning. The new meaning of the noun-verb combination majorly originates from the noun.
In German, compound words are mostly in use in a formal setting instead of the single verbs which have the exact meaning. When a compound word rather than the single verb counterpart is the choice in the sentence formation, the verb should not be translated literally as it was formerly known even though it can often times retain its old meaning.
From the tables below, the meaning of these noun-verbs can either be literal or true with regards to their meaning in English. However, it is this true meaning that should be used to translate. Sometimes, the literal meaning may be the same as the true meaning. Just use it anyway…
Compound Words vs. Alternative Verbs 1
| German | Literal meaning | True meaning | Alternative verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Party machen | to make party | to do party | feiern |
| Urlaub machen | to make holiday | to spend holiday | – |
| Kontakt aufnehmen | to Initiate contact | to contact someone | kontaktieren |
| Abschied nehmen | to take farewell | to say goodbye | sich verabschieden |
| Abstand nehmen | to take distance | to refrain | meiden |
| Angst haben | to have fear | to to be afraid | ängstigen |
| Angst machen | to make fear | to scare | beängstigen |
| Anspruch nehmen | to take claim | to take advantage | nutzen |
| Bezug nehmen | to take bearing | to make a reference | sich beziehen |
| Durst haben | to have thirst | to be thirsty | durstig sein |
| Hunger haben | to have hunger | to be hungry | hungrig sein |
| Einfluss nehmen | to take influence | to have influence | beeinflussen |
| Erfolg haben | to have success | to be successful | erfolgreich sein |
| Feierabend machen | to make party evening | to be free of duty | vollenden |
| Foto machen | to make picture | to take photograph | fotografieren |
| Geburtstag haben | to have birthday | to be plus one | plus eins werden |
| Glück haben | to have luck | to be lucky | glücklich sein |
| Pech haben | to have pitch | to be unlucky | unglücklich sein |
| Schluss machen | to make conclusion | to break-up | sich trennen |
| Karriere machen | to make career | to be career oriented | schulen |
| Hoffnung machen | to make hope | to give hope | hoffen |
| Angebot machen | to make offer | to make an offer | anbieten |
Compound Words vs. Alternative Verbs 2
| German | Literal meaning | True meaning | Alternative verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| ein Nickerchen machen | to make closed-eye | to take a nap | einnicken |
| Chance haben | to have chance | to have an opportunity | gelegen |
| eine Fliege machen | to make fly | to deal with it | weggehen |
| Freude machen | to make pleasure | to be pleased | gefallen |
| Pause machen | to make pause | to go for a break | ruhen |
| ein Unterschied machen | to make difference | to be a difference | sich unterscheiden |
| Eindruck machen | to make impression | to give an impression | beeindrucken |
| Gewinn machen | to make win | to make profit | profitieren |
| Verlust machen | to make loss | to have a loss | verlieren |
| Platz nehmen | to take place | to take a seat | sich setzen |
| Vorschlag machen | to make suggestion | to give a suggestion | vorschlagen |
| Stress machen | to make stress | to cause stress | erschöpfen |
| Ärger machen | to make annoyance | to cause trouble | belästigen |
| Spaß machen | to make fun | to be fun | sich amüsieren |
| Lust haben | to have desire | to be interested | sich interessieren |
| Spaziergang machen | to make stroll | to go for a walk | spazieren gehen |
| Ausflug machen | to make outing | to go for an outing | — |
| Dusch haben | to have shower | to take a shower | sich duschen |
| viel Arbeit machen | to make a lot of work | to cause a lot of work | ermüden |
| es eilig machen | to be in a hurry | to hasten up/ hurry | sich beeilen |
| sich Gedanken machen | to make thought | to think to oneself | denken |
| sich Sorgen machen | to make worry | to trouble oneself | berühren |
| zu Fuß gehen | to go to foot | to trek | bewegen |
How to make sentences with German noun verbs
To make a sentence using a noun-verb, the verb in the combination is either conjugated in the second position to the subject or get used as a supporting verb at the end of a sentence in the case of having a modal verb. The noun on the other hand becomes the direct object or Akkusativ in the sentence. The use of articles with these nouns may or may not be necessary. See the different illustrations below.
1. When it is the verb conjugate
As the verb conjugate, their positions in Hauptsatz and Nebensatz are the second and last respectively. In this instance, the noun becomes the direct/ Akkusativ object with it’s position being at the third except there are other displacing factors present such as an indirect/ Dativ object or Adverbs etc. See examples below.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| 1. Ich mache jeden Tag um 12.00 Uhr Pause. | I go on Break every day at 12 O’clock. |
| 2. Die Firma meiner Schwiegereltern hat letztes Jahr so viel Verlust gemacht. | The company of my in-laws lost a lot last year. |
| 3. Kira hat am Dienstag Geburtstag. | Kira will be +1 on Tuesday. |
| 4.Wann machst du Feierabend? | When are you closing for today? |
2. When it is the infinitive
As a support/ land base for modal and Infinitive sentences, the entire compound word must be at the end of the Hauptsatz and second to last of a Nebensatz which then alters their standard SVO and SOV order respectively. See the illustrations below.
| Hauptsatz | Nebensatz |
|---|---|
| 1. Du sollst von mir keinen Abschied nehmen. (you were not supposed to be hungry.) | Ich habe gesagt, dass du von mir keinen Abschied nehmen sollst. (I said that you should not depart from me) |
| 2. Wo wollen wir im nächsten Sommer unseren Urlaub machen? (where do we want to spend our holiday next Sommer?) | Darf ich frage, wo wir im nächsten Sommer unsere Urlaub machen wollen? (May I ask where we want to spend our holiday next Sommer?) |
| 3. Eva, leider musst du versuchen, den Brief selbst zu schreiben. (Eva, unfortunately you have to try to write the letter yourself.) | Eva, ich habe dir gesagt, dass du den Brief leider versuchen musst, selbst zu schreiben. (Eva, I told you that you have to try to write the letter yourself unfortunately.) |