In the framework of an ongoing contrastive study of German and Swedish, an observed greater tendency toward compressed syntax in German is investigated by comparing the type and token frequency, modifiability, metaphoric extensibility, and synonym possibilities of '-bar' (-able/-ible) derivations in both languages. Comparative frequency data are drawn from two sources: (1) for type frequencies, the German-Swedish vs. Swedish-German sections of 'Norstedts tyska ordbok' ([Norstedt's German Dictionary] 1998); and (2) for token frequencies, newspaper feature articles and other expository texts from German and Swedish on-line databases, COSMAS and SPRAKBANKEN respectively. Results indicate that only 33% of types and 27% of tokens of the sampled German -bar formations have Swedish equivalents; the greater frequency and acceptability of the German formations are also evidenced by pairing constructions, frequent metaphorical use, and modifiers of the type leicht 'easily' that are constrained in Swedish. (J. Hitchcock in LLBA, Accession Number 200211224)