Adjectives used as nouns

Understand the rule, see it in context, then put it into practice.

67 chapters · 64 common verbs

Adjectives used as nouns

An adjective used as a noun is capitalized and still follows adjective declension: der Kranke, ein Kranker, die Kranken. After etwas and nichts, a nominalized adjective usually takes -es: etwas Neues.

Understand the idea

An adjective can act as a noun, especially for a person or an abstract quality. It is capitalised but still takes adjective endings. Its ending therefore depends on the article and case rather than behaving like an ordinary fixed noun suffix.

Build it step by step

Compare a definite article, an indefinite article and no article. After etwas or nichts, a neuter nominalised adjective commonly has -es, as in etwas Neues. Words referring to people can change endings across gender and case: der Kranke differs from ein Kranker. The surrounding phrase tells you which pattern applies.

See it in a sentence

Ich möchte etwas Neues lernen.

I would like to learn something new.

Er hat nichts Wichtiges gesagt.

He said nothing important.

A useful memory aid

Keep the article and capitalised adjective together when studying the form. Its noun-like role does not erase its adjective-like declension.

A common trap

Do not freeze a dictionary form such as Kranker in every case. Also remember the capital letter when an adjective is actually being used as a noun.

Sources & how to use this book

Original explanations, tips and learning examples by DeutschLearner, with grammar facts checked against the references below. The A1–B2 labels guide study; they do not certify a proficiency level. Reading a chapter does not mark a topic as mastered. Existing exercises provide the translated examples; no source exercise bank or example sentences were copied.