Painting a Picture with Participle Clauses
In advanced German narration, you can combine sentences elegantly using free participle clauses (Partizipialsätze). Instead of writing "He holds the chisel and looks at the marble," you can say "Holding the chisel, he looks at the marble."
These clauses act as adverbial phrases, describing how, why, or under what circumstances the main action happens.
The Present Participle (Partizip I)
To describe an active action happening at the exact same time as the main verb, use the present participle (Partizip I). Form this by adding -d to the infinitive of the verb (e.g., halten becomes haltend, atmen becomes atmend).
Unlike participles placed directly in front of nouns as adjectives, free participles act as adverbs and never take declension endings.
| Holding the chisel firmly, the sculptor looks at the marble. | Den Meißel fest haltend, betrachtet der Bildhauer den Marmor. |
| Breathing deeply, he shapes the rough marble. | Tief atmend, formt er den groben Marmor. |
The Past Participle (Partizip II)
You can also use the past participle (Partizip II, such as bedeckt or geformt) to form a free participle clause. While the present participle shows an active, simultaneous action, the past participle usually describes a passive state or a completed action.
| Covered by dust, the sculptor creates the sculpture. | Von Staub bedeckt, erschafft der Bildhauer die Skulptur. |
Word Order and Subjects
A free participle clause often groups the participle with objects or adverbs (like die Skulptur or von Staub). For the sentence to make sense, the unstated subject of the participle clause must be the same as the subject of the main clause.
You will usually place the participle clause at the beginning of the sentence, separated by a comma. Because the entire clause occupies the first position, the main clause's conjugated verb must immediately follow the comma.
| Completing the sculpture, he furthermore polishes the marble flawlessly. | Die Skulptur vollendend, poliert er den Marmor außerdem makellos. |
Alternatively, place the participle clause at the end of the sentence. It is still separated by a comma, but the main clause follows standard word order.
| Furthermore, he works for a long time, striking the marble. | Darüber hinaus arbeitet er lange, den Marmor schlagend. |