German capitalization (Großschreibung) follows one rule so sweeping that it reshapes how the language looks on the page: every noun is capitalized, anywhere in a sentence. Not just names, not just sentence-openers — every single noun, every time. Der Tisch (the table), die Liebe (love), das Wetter (the weather): all capitals, always. German is one of very few languages that does this (it shares the habit only with Luxembourgish), and for English speakers it is both a relief and a trap — a relief because the rule is clear, a trap because the hard part is recognising when a non-noun has been turned into a noun and must therefore be capitalized too.
The core rule: all nouns, always
In English, common nouns are lowercase mid-sentence (the table, the dog); only proper names and the first word of a sentence get a capital. German throws that out. Any noun — concrete or abstract, common or proper — is capitalized wherever it appears.
Der Tisch steht in der Küche.
'The table is in the kitchen.' — both Tisch and Küche are nouns, both capitalized
Ich habe Hunger und keine Zeit.
'I'm hungry and have no time.' — Hunger and Zeit are nouns, even abstract ones
Die Freiheit ist ein hohes Gut.
'Freedom is a high good.' — abstract nouns Freiheit and Gut are still capitalized
A reliable test: if a word has an article (der/die/das, ein/eine) or could take one, it is a noun and gets a capital. Der Hund, eine Idee, das Glück — article present, capital required.
Proper names and sentence beginnings
As in English, proper names (people, cities, countries, brands) and the first word of a sentence are capitalized. This part will feel familiar.
Anna wohnt in Berlin.
'Anna lives in Berlin.' — names of people and cities, like English
Heute ist das Wetter schön.
'Today the weather is nice.' — Heute opens the sentence; Wetter is a noun
One twist inside proper names: when a name contains an adjective, the adjective is capitalized as part of the name — das Schwarze Meer (the Black Sea), das Rote Kreuz (the Red Cross). The adjective is normally lowercase, but here it is welded into a fixed proper name and rides along with the capital.
The hard part: nominalization
This is where the rule earns its difficulty and where competitors stop explaining. German freely turns other parts of speech — verbs, adjectives, even small words — into nouns, and the moment a word becomes a noun, it must be capitalized. The skill is spotting the signals that nominalization has happened. There are three big ones.
Signal 1: an article (often fused with a preposition)
When a verb infinitive or an adjective follows an article, it has become a noun. Watch especially for prepositions fused with articles: beim (= bei dem), im (= in dem), zum (= zu dem), am (= an dem). These fused forms contain an article, so the word after them is usually a capitalized noun.
Das Lesen macht mir Spaß.
'Reading is fun for me.' — the verb lesen + das becomes the noun das Lesen, capitalized
Beim Schwimmen muss man vorsichtig sein.
'When swimming, you have to be careful.' — beim (bei dem) makes Schwimmen a capitalized noun
Zum Essen gibt es Kartoffeln.
'For the meal there are potatoes.' — zum (zu dem) + Essen, nominalized
Signal 2: etwas / nichts / viel / wenig + adjective
After the words etwas (something), nichts (nothing), viel (much), wenig (little), and allerlei (all sorts of), an adjective becomes a noun and is capitalized. The little word is the trigger.
Hast du etwas Schönes erlebt?
'Did you experience something nice?' — etwas turns schön into the noun Schönes
Es gibt nichts Neues.
'There's nothing new.' — nichts + neu becomes capitalized Neues
Sie hat viel Gutes getan.
'She has done much good.' — viel + gut becomes capitalized Gutes
Signal 3: the bare definite article + adjective (the abstract noun)
An adjective alone after das (or another article) becomes an abstract noun: das Gute (the good / goodness), das Schöne (the beautiful), das Wichtigste (the most important thing). Likewise adjectives referring to people: der Alte (the old man), die Kleine (the little girl).
Das Gute siegt am Ende.
'Good triumphs in the end.' — gut + das becomes the abstract noun das Gute
Das Wichtigste ist die Gesundheit.
'The most important thing is health.' — superlative wichtigst- nominalized after das
What stays lowercase
Just as important as what gets capitalized is what does not. Three big categories stay lowercase mid-sentence:
- Adjectives — including adjectives of nationality. This is a major English-interference trap (see below): deutsch, französisch, amerikanisch are lowercase when used as ordinary adjectives.
- Verbs — in their normal verbal use (ich gehe, sie arbeitet).
- Most pronouns, including the informal du and ihr (see the next section).
Ich trinke gern deutschen Wein.
'I like drinking German wine.' — deutschen is an adjective here, lowercase
Sie spricht fließend Französisch.
'She speaks fluent French.' — but here Französisch IS the language as a noun, capitalized
That second example shows the crucial distinction: the nationality word is lowercase as an adjective (deutscher Wein) but capitalized when it names the language as a noun (Deutsch lernen, auf Deutsch). Same word, different part of speech, different capital.
| Lowercase (adjective) | Capitalized (noun: the language) |
|---|---|
| deutscher Wein — German wine | Ich lerne Deutsch. — I'm learning German. |
| ein englisches Buch — an English book | auf Englisch — in English |
| die spanische Küche — Spanish cuisine | Sie spricht Spanisch. — She speaks Spanish. |
Sie, du, and letter-writing
German uses capitalization to mark formality in address. The formal Sie (you, polite) and all its forms — Sie, Ihnen, Ihr (your) — are always capitalized, which also keeps formal Sie visually distinct from sie meaning "she/they".
Können Sie mir bitte helfen?
'Can you (formal) help me, please?' — formal Sie is capitalized
Ich danke Ihnen für Ihre Hilfe.
'I thank you for your help.' — Ihnen and Ihr (your, formal) capitalized
The informal du and ihr (and their forms dich, dir, euch, dein) are now lowercase by the post-1996 rules. The one socially accepted exception: in personal letters and emails, you may capitalize Du/Dir/Dein as a sign of respect — it is optional, not required.
Hast du meine Nachricht bekommen?
'Did you get my message?' — informal du is lowercase in normal text
Liebe Anna, ich hoffe, es geht Dir gut.
'Dear Anna, I hope you're well.' — Dir optionally capitalized in a personal letter
Common Mistakes
❌ Ich habe einen hund und eine katze.
Incorrect — common nouns left lowercase, as in English
✅ Ich habe einen Hund und eine Katze.
Correct — all nouns capitalized: 'I have a dog and a cat.'
❌ Ich trinke gern Deutschen Wein.
Incorrect — capitalizing the nationality adjective
✅ Ich trinke gern deutschen Wein.
Correct — deutsch is a lowercase adjective here: 'I like German wine.'
❌ Das lesen macht mir Spaß.
Incorrect — failing to capitalize a nominalized verb after das
✅ Das Lesen macht mir Spaß.
Correct — das Lesen is now a noun: 'Reading is fun.'
❌ Können sie mir helfen?
Incorrect — lowercase sie reads as 'she/they', not formal 'you'
✅ Können Sie mir helfen?
Correct — formal Sie is capitalized: 'Can you help me?'
❌ Es gibt nichts neues.
Incorrect — adjective after nichts must be nominalized and capitalized
✅ Es gibt nichts Neues.
Correct — nichts + neu becomes the noun Neues: 'There's nothing new.'
Key Takeaways
- Every noun is capitalized, anywhere in the sentence — the article test (der/die/das?) confirms it.
- Nominalized words (verbs and adjectives turned into nouns) are capitalized too. Watch the three signals: an article (especially fused beim/im/zum/am), etwas/nichts/viel/wenig, and a bare das
- adjective.
- Adjectives stay lowercase — including nationality adjectives (deutscher Wein) — but the language as a noun is capitalized (Deutsch lernen).
- The formal Sie/Ihnen/Ihr is always capitalized; informal du/ihr is lowercase (optionally capitalized in personal letters).
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Start learning German→Related Topics
- Nominalization: Turning Words into NounsB2 — How German turns infinitives, adjectives, and participles into nouns — and why the resulting words keep adjective endings.
- du vs Sie: Address and FormalityA1 — German splits 'you' into informal du/ihr and formal Sie — a distinction that is social rather than grammatical, and getting it wrong is a pragmatic stumble, not a grammar error.
- The 1996 Spelling ReformB1 — The 1996 Rechtschreibreform (revised 2004/2006) redistributed ß/ss by vowel length, restored triple consonants in compounds (Schifffahrt), allowed more separate writing, and re-capitalized some fixed phrases — and you will still meet the old spellings in any pre-1996 book.
- Forms of Address and the du/Sie DecisionA2 — When to say du and when to say Sie, who gets to offer the switch, and how titles work — the single biggest social-grammar decision in German.
- Compound NounsA2 — How German glues nouns together into one long word — why the last piece decides the gender and meaning, where the stress falls, and what those linking -s and -n letters are doing.