4.4 Adjectives with the dative
Der Jugendliche (sg. nom.) war nach Paris gefahren. Bei den Jugendlichen (pl. dat.) handelte es sich um Deutsche. Ein Jugendlicher (sg. nom.) wurde verletzt. Jugendlichen (pl. dat.) ist der Zutritt nicht gestattet.
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The young man had gone to Paris. The young people in question were Germans. One young man was injured. No admission under 18.
Masculine and feminine adjectives used as nouns usually refer to people. In the English equivalent, we often have to supply a noun like man, woman or people. However, a large number of these adjectival nouns in common use correspond to simple nouns in English, for example: der/die Abgeordnete der Beamte/die Beamtin der/die Bekannte der/die Deutsche der/die Erwachsene der/die Fremde der/die Geistliche
representative civil servant acquaintance German adult stranger clergyman
der/die Reisende der/die Staatsangehörige der/die Überlebende der/die Verlobte der/die Verwandte der/die Vorgesetzte der/die Vorsitzende
traveller citizen survivor fiancé/fiancée relative superior chair(man)
NB The female form of der Beamte is the regular noun die Beamtin
Neuter adjectival nouns usually denote abstract ideas. The English equivalents often require a word like things: Es ist schon Schlimmes passiert. Er hat Hervorragendes geleistet.
Bad things have already happened. He has achieved outstanding things.
They are often used after indefinites, with the appropriate weak or strong ending depending on the ending of the determiner: alles Gute etwas Schönes nichts Neues/von nichts Neuem wenig Interessantes
everything (that is) good/all the best something beautiful/something nice nothing new/of nothing new nothing much of interest
4.4 Adjectives with the dative Many adjectives can be used with a noun dependent on them in the DATIVE case: Er ist seinem Bruder sehr ähnlich. Dieser Mann war ihr nicht bekannt. Dieses Gespräch war mir sehr nützlich.
He is very much like his brother. This man was not known to her. This conversation was very useful to me.