Lachender

Lachender is the present participle of lachen, the German verb meaning to laugh. In ordinary usage it functions as an adjective meaning “laughing” and is formed from the verb with the appropriate inflection to match the noun it modifies.

As an attributive adjective it takes endings according to case, gender, and article. Examples include ein lachender Mann (a laughing man), der lachende Mann (the laughing man), and die lachenden Gesichter (the laughing faces). In predicative position with a linking verb, German typically uses either the participle lachend or the finite verb, for example: Der Mann lacht, rather than Der Mann ist lachend.

The word can also appear in a noun-like usage when capitalized, such as Lachender or Der Lachende, where it functions as a nominalized participle meaning “the laugher” or “the one who laughs.” This reading is literary and relatively uncommon in everyday prose.

Etymology and related forms: Lachender derives from lachen plus the present-participle suffix -end, following standard German adjective declension for participles. It is closely related to lachend, the more common form used in predicative or adverbial contexts, while lachender is favored in attributive constructions with indefinite articles.

See also: lachen; Lachendes Lachen; das Lachen.