das gekochte Ei, das kochende Wasser: participles used as adjectives
CEFR B1 · part 2
edumaterial's parts within the level. The European framework does not subdivide them.
The future with werden, and why it is hardly ever usedBuilding the future with werden conjugated and the infinitive at the end, and —what…entweder…oder, nicht nur…sondern auch: two-part connectorsLinking two ideas with the five commonest pairs —entweder…oder, sowohl…als auch…warten auf, denken an: verbs with a fixed preposition, and the da- and wo- that go with themLearning the verb with its preposition attached, as one word —warten AUF, denken AN…der Deutsche, etwas Gutes: adjectives turned into nounsTurning an adjective into a noun, which German does every day: der Alte, die Kleine, das…Indirect questions: ob and the seven W-words, with the verb at the endAsking politely rather than bluntly, which is what they are really for: Wissen Sie, wo…könnten Sie, ich hätte gern: polite requests and wishesAsking for things without sounding blunt, which matters more in Germany than you would…The rule, in three lines
Both participles can stand in front of a noun, and the only thing separating them is timing. The past one says the action HAS HAPPENED to the thing: das gekochte Ei, the boiled egg. The present one, which is the infinitive plus a d, says the thing IS DOING it: das kochende Wasser, the boiling water. Both decline like any adjective.
The usual slip. Mixing the two up, because in your language they look almost the same and in German they differ by a syllable. And the second mistake, which is even more common: forgetting the ending. Even though it comes from a verb, in front of a noun it is an adjective and declines, das gekochte Ei but ein gekochtes Ei.
Why it catches you out. English does both easily —«the boiled egg», «the boiling water»— and even puts them in the same slot. So the meaning is free for you. All that is new is the ending, because English participles used as adjectives never change: boiled is boiled wherever it stands.