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In English, we intensify adjectives by attaching a noun to the front, creating words like "ice-cold" or "rock-hard." German uses this exact same structure (*verstärkende Adjektivkomposita*) to make descriptions more vivid.

Simply attach a noun directly to an adjective to form a single compound word.

For example, you might hope a piece of furniture is light as a feather (*die Feder* + *leicht* = **federleicht**), but it turns out to be heavy as lead (*das Blei* + *schwer* = **bleischwer**).

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They are perfect for dramatic descriptions, like a wardrobe that is gigantic (*der Riese* + *groß* = **riesengroß**) and pretty as a picture (*das Bild* + *schön* = **bildschön**).

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When carrying that heavy furniture up a narrow staircase, you might find the steps are smooth as glass (**spiegelglatt**) and the walls hard as stone (**steinhart**).

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It quickly becomes crystal clear (**kristallklar**) that you can't move at lightning speed (**blitzschnell**).

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Once the grueling process is over, you will probably be tired as a dog (**hundemüde**).

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Time for a well-deserved drink that is cold as ice (**eiskalt**).

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Intensifying adjective compounds (blitzschnell, hundemüde)

adjective

adverb

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and gender (der, die, das)

Indefinite articles (ein, eine)

Regular verbs and statement word order (ich -e, er -t)

The second person (du -st, Sie -en)

Yes/No questions

The verb 'to have' (habe, hast, hat)

Plural pronouns and regular verbs (wir, ihr, sie)

Plural 'to be' and 'to have' (sind, haben)

Plural nouns and the plural article (die)

Sentence negation (nicht)

Noun negation (kein, keine)

Question words (wer, was, wo, wie)

Numbers 0 to 12 (null, eins, zwei)

The accusative case (den, die, das)

Indefinite accusative articles (einen, keinen)

Direct object pronouns (mich, dich, ihn)

There is / there are (es gibt)

Vowel changes: e to i/ie (er spricht, sie liest)

Vowel changes: a to ä (er fährt)

Weather and conditions (es regnet)

First- and second-person possessives in the nominative (mein, dein, Ihr)

First- and second-person possessives in the accusative (meinen, deinen, Ihren)

Third-person and plural possessives (sein, ihr, unser, euer)

Possession with names (Annas Auto)

Demonstrative pronouns (dieser, diese, dieses)

Expressing preference (gern, lieber)

Asking about direction and origin (woher, wohin)

Expressing ability (können)

Polite requests (möchten)

Expressing intention (wollen)

Modal verbs of obligation and permission (müssen, dürfen)

Separable prefix verbs

Adverbs of frequency (immer, oft, manchmal, nie)

The Dative case and definite articles (dem, der, den)

Dative indefinite and negative articles (einem, einer, keinem)

Dative personal pronouns (mir, dir, ihm, ihr...)

Dative verbs (helfen, danken, gefallen, schmecken)

Dative prepositions (aus, bei, mit, nach...)

Accusative prepositions (für, ohne, gegen)

Two-way prepositions for location (in, an, auf...)

Informal singular imperative (mach, komm)

Plural and formal imperative (macht, machen Sie)

Coordinating conjunctions (und, oder, aber, denn)

Simple past of sein and haben (war, hatte)

The perfect tense: regular verbs (gemacht, gespielt)

Past tense: irregular verbs (ge-...-en)

The perfect tense: mixed verbs (gebracht, gekannt)

The perfect tense with sein (ist gegangen)

The perfect tense: separable verbs (eingekauft)

The perfect tense: inseparable and -ieren verbs (besucht, studiert)

Informal singular commands (mach, lern)

Numbers 13 to 20 (dreizehn to zwanzig)

Counting by tens to 100 (dreißig, vierzig)

Telling time (Uhr, halb, Viertel, vor, nach)

Numbers 21 to 99 (einundzwanzig, zweiunddreißig)

Greetings and farewells

Thank you, sorry and good wishes

Everyday replies

Numbers 100 to 1,000,000 (hundert, tausend...)

Becoming and getting (werden)

The impersonal pronoun (man)

Indefinite pronouns (jemand, niemand...)

Time sequence prepositions (vor, nach, bei)

Time span prepositions (von... bis, seit, für)

Adverbs of sequence (zuerst, dann, danach)

Two-way prepositions for direction (in, auf, an...)

Directional adverbs (hin, her)

Placement verbs (setzen, stellen, legen)

Months of the year (Januar, Februar)

The four seasons (Frühling, Sommer)

Time prepositions and indefinite pronouns (an, in, um)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 19th (am ersten)

Ordinals 20th and beyond (-ste, -sten)

Placement vs. location verbs (stellen vs. stehen)

Accusative reflexive pronouns (mich, dich, sich)

Accusative reflexive verbs (sich freuen)

Dative reflexive pronouns (mir, dir, sich)

Dative reflexive verbs (sich etwas merken)

Ordinal numbers 11th to 19th (-te)

Temporal prepositions (an, in, um)

Double objects with nouns

Double objects with pronouns

The modal verb for advice (sollen)

Simple past of modal verbs (musste, wollte...)

Simple past of common irregulars (wurde, wusste, es gab)

Adverbial connectors of consequence (deshalb, darum...)

Subordinate clauses for statements (dass)

Question	Answer
feather-light	federleicht
lead-heavy	bleischwer
I believe the sofa is feather-light, but it is heavy as lead.	Ich glaube, das Sofa ist federleicht, aber es ist bleischwer.
The wardrobe seems to be feather-light, but it is heavy as lead.	Der Schrank scheint federleicht zu sein, aber er ist bleischwer.
giant	riesengroß
picture-beautiful	bildschön
We bought the piece of furniture because it is gigantic and gorgeous.	Wir haben das Möbelstück gekauft, weil es riesengroß und bildschön ist.
mirror-smooth	spiegelglatt
rock-hard	steinhart
Of all things, the stairs are as smooth as glass and the wall is rock-hard!	Ausgerechnet die Treppe ist spiegelglatt und die Wand ist steinhart!
crystal-clear	kristallklar
lightning-fast	blitzschnell
It is crystal clear that we cannot carry the gigantic wardrobe at lightning speed.	Es ist kristallklar, dass wir den riesengroßen Schrank nicht blitzschnell tragen können.
My foot slips lightning-fast on the step, although I am paying attention.	Mein Fuß rutscht blitzschnell auf der Stufe, obwohl ich aufpasse.
The wardrobe falls against the wall, and unfortunately it is rock-hard.	Der Schrank fällt gegen die Wand, und sie ist leider steinhart.
Considering that the wardrobe is heavy as lead, we carried it at lightning speed.	Dafür, dass der Schrank bleischwer ist, haben wir ihn blitzschnell getragen.
dog-tired	hundemüde
We are finally upstairs in the bedroom and are dog-tired.	Wir sind endlich oben im Schlafzimmer und sind hundemüde.
This gorgeous wardrobe is standing here now, but I am dog-tired.	Dieser bildschöne Schrank steht jetzt hier, aber ich bin hundemüde.
ice-cold	eiskalt
It is crystal clear that I need an ice-cold drink now.	Es ist kristallklar, dass ich jetzt ein eiskaltes Getränk brauche.
The floor is as smooth as glass, therefore I spill the ice-cold water onto the carpet.	Der Boden ist spiegelglatt, deshalb verschütte ich das eiskalte Wasser auf den Teppich.