German Adjective Endings
German adjective endings change based on the article type and case. After definite articles (der/die/das), use weak endings -e or -en. After indefinite articles (ein/eine), the adjective shows gender with -er, -e, or -es. Without articles, adjectives take strong endings that signal the noun's gender and case.
When an adjective comes before a noun in German, it must take an ending that agrees with the noun's gender, case, and number. The ending you choose depends on what comes before the adjective. If a definite article like der, die, or das already shows the gender and case clearly, the adjective only needs a weak ending.
With indefinite articles like ein or eine, the article does not always show the full grammatical information. In these cases, the adjective ending must do more work by indicating the gender. For masculine nominative, you add -er to the adjective. For neuter nominative and accusative, you add -es.
When no article appears at all, the adjective carries the full burden of showing gender and case through strong endings. These strong endings look similar to the definite article endings themselves. This system ensures that listeners always know the grammatical role of each noun in the sentence.
The dative case always uses -en for adjectives after definite and indefinite articles. Accusative masculine also takes -en after the definite article den. Learning these patterns takes practice, but recognizing the three declension types makes the system manageable.
- Weak endings after definite articles
- Nach bestimmtem Artikel (der/die/das): schwache Endung -e oder -en
- Mixed endings after indefinite articles
- Nach unbestimmtem Artikel (ein/eine): die Endung zeigt das Genus (-er, -e, -es)
- Strong endings without articles
- Ohne Artikel: starke Endung, die das Genus signalisiert
- Nominative case examples
- Nominativ: der gute Wein / die gute Suppe / das gute Brot
- Accusative masculine form
- Akkusativ maskulin: den guten Wein
- Dative case examples
- Dativ: mit dem neuen Auto / mit der neuen Lampe
Examples
Common mistakes
- Using 'der guter Wein' instead of 'der gute Wein' after a definite article
- Writing 'ein gutes Wein' instead of 'ein guter Wein' for masculine nouns
- Forgetting the -en ending in 'den guten Wein' for accusative masculine
- Using 'mit dem neuen Auto' correctly but then saying 'mit ein neue Auto' instead of 'mit einem neuen Auto'
FAQ
Why do German adjective endings change?
German adjective endings change to show the gender, case, and number of the noun they modify. The ending depends on whether a definite article, indefinite article, or no article precedes the adjective. This system ensures clarity about each noun's grammatical role in the sentence.
What is the difference between weak and strong adjective endings?
Weak endings (-e or -en) appear after definite articles that already show gender and case. Strong endings match the definite article forms and appear when no article precedes the adjective. Mixed endings occur after indefinite articles, where the adjective must sometimes signal gender.
Do I always need to add an ending to adjectives in German?
You only add endings when the adjective comes directly before a noun. Predicate adjectives that follow verbs like sein or werden do not take endings. For example, 'Der Wein ist gut' needs no ending, but 'der gute Wein' requires -e.