German suffixes are the small endings that give words a new job – turn a noun into an adjective, or a verb into a thing you can touch. Add -los to Freund and you’re suddenly without a friend. Tack -ung onto Zeit and you’ve made an appointment. Sneaky, right?
This collection rounds up about 50 of the most common German suffixes you’ll actually meet in daily life, not the obscure ones from a linguistics lecture. Each one comes with a plain-English meaning and a real example sentence so you can see how it lives in the wild. No confusing grammar rules – just the patterns that help you guess new words without reaching for a dictionary.
It’s a practical reference for any German learner who wants to build vocabulary faster by spotting the building blocks. Work through the table at your own pace, and when you’re ready to study offline, grab the free PDF using the download button just below the table.
Want more than one list? Browse our German section for more Yak Yacker study pages, printable lists, and quiz-friendly review material.
Quick Quiz
Think you can already spot a -keit from a -heit ? Try the quiz below and see how many of these suffixes have already found a home in your brain.
Browse the Full List
| Word | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Kate | Other | cottage |
| Köchin | Other | female cook, chef |
| konservativ | Adjective | conservative |
| Lee | Other | lee, leeward |
| losfahren | Verb | depart, drive off, set off, leave |
| Mission | Other | mission |
| Monster | Other | monster |
| Operation | Other | operation |
| Paris | Other | Paris |
| schamlos | Adjective | shameless, unashamed, unabashed |
| schlachten | Verb | slaughter, kill, butcher |
| Stecker | Other | plug |
| trauen | Verb | marry, wed |
| übel | Adjective | bad, nasty |
| überrascht | Adjective | surprised |
| übersetzt | Adjective | excessive |
| veranstalten | Verb | organize -s- |
| verpacken | Verb | pack up, package |
| verschlafen | Verb | sleep in, oversleep |
| vierzehn | Other | fourteen |
| Volk | Other | people, nation |
| weihnachten | Verb | Christmas is coming |
| weißen | Verb | whitewash |
| worauf | Other | what are you still waiting for? |
| zelten | Verb | camp |
