Four decisions for a capital letter
Check the beginning of the sentence, then the role of the word. Nouns and names are capitalized; adjectives do not become nouns simply because they are important to the writer.
| Decision | Original example | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| sentence beginning | Morgen beginnt der Kurs. | The first word begins with a capital. |
| noun | Der Kurs beginnt morgen. | Kurs is a noun; morgen is an adverb here. |
| nominalized adjective | Ich habe etwas Neues gelernt. | Neues names something, rather than modifying a following noun. |
| polite address | Können Sie mir helfen? | Polite Sie is capitalized. |
A noun role changes the spelling decision
Compare ein neues Heft with etwas Neues. In the first phrase, neues modifies Heft. In the second, Neues is nominalized. Also compare schnell laufen with beim schnellen Laufen: Laufen is a noun in the second phrase.
A preceding article is a useful clue, not a mechanical rule that the very next word must be a noun. In das kleine Haus, kleine is an adjective and Haus is the noun. Follow the complete phrase.
Language, weekday and address forms
Ich lerne Deutsch uses a language noun. Eine deutsche Nachricht uses an adjective. Am Montag contains the weekday noun Montag, while montags in Ich lerne montags is a lower-case adverb.
Polite Sie, Ihnen and Ihr are capitalized. Ordinary sie meaning she or they is lower-case inside a sentence. Du and its related forms normally have lower-case spelling; capitalization is also permitted in personal correspondence. Keep the meaning of the address distinct.
Edit a message in two passes
First mark the nouns and names. Then check sentence beginnings and pronouns. This separates two different jobs and makes the reason for each capital visible.
Try the original message: Guten Tag, Frau Weber. Am Montag besprechen wir etwas Neues. Können Sie das Heft mitbringen? Explain Montag, Neues and Sie, then change the final sentence to du without changing the rest of the message’s meaning.
Put it into practice
Try each task before opening the answer. Open questions show one possible model answer.
Choose: Ich lerne deutsch/Deutsch.
Answer and explanation
Ich lerne Deutsch.
Deutsch is a language noun.
Choose: eine Deutsche/deutsche Nachricht.
Answer and explanation
eine deutsche Nachricht
Deutsche modifies the noun Nachricht.
Choose: etwas neues/Neues.
Answer and explanation
etwas Neues
The adjective is nominalized here.
Choose: Ich lerne Montags/montags.
Answer and explanation
Ich lerne montags.
Montags is an adverb here.
Capitalize the polite pronoun: Können sie mir helfen?
Answer and explanation
Können Sie mir helfen?
The prompt specifies polite address.
Is kleine capitalized in das kleine Haus?
Answer and explanation
No. It remains an adjective modifying Haus.
An article can precede both an adjective and its noun.
Questions learners ask
Does an article always mean the next word is capitalized?
No. In das kleine Haus, kleine is an adjective and Haus is the noun.
Are du and Sie treated identically?
No. Polite Sie forms are capitalized. Du forms are normally lower-case; personal correspondence permits capitals too.