When adjectives take endings at all
An adjective after sein, werden, or bleiben stays bare: Der Kaffee ist heiß. The moment it moves in front of a noun, it needs an ending: der heiße Kaffee. Every ending you learned about articles and cases now pays off, because adjective endings are built on exactly that system.
| Der Kaffee ist heiß. | The coffee is hot. Predicate position: no ending. |
| Ich trinke den heißen Kaffee. | I am drinking the hot coffee. Before the noun: ending required. |
The logic: someone has to show the case
One principle generates all three tables. The gender and case of the noun phrase must be visible somewhere. If the article shows it, the adjective relaxes into a weak ending, -e or -en. If no article is there to do the work, the adjective takes over and wears the strong, article-like ending itself.
Ein-words sit in between: ein shows nothing in three cells of the table, and precisely in those cells the adjective compensates with the strong ending.
After der, die, das: weak endings
Only two endings exist here: -e and -en. Five cells take -e, all the rest take -en.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der alte Mann | die junge Frau | das kleine Kind | die guten Freunde |
| Accusative | den alten Mann | die junge Frau | das kleine Kind | die guten Freunde |
| Dative | dem alten Mann | der jungen Frau | dem kleinen Kind | den guten Freunden |
| Genitive | des alten Mannes | der jungen Frau | des kleinen Kindes | der guten Freunde |
| Das kleine Kind schläft. | The small child is sleeping. Nominative neuter after das: -e. |
After ein-words: mixed endings
Ein, kein, and the possessives follow this table. It matches the weak table except where ein shows nothing: masculine nominative and neuter nominative and accusative.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ein alter Mann | eine junge Frau | ein kleines Kind | keine guten Freunde |
| Accusative | einen alten Mann | eine junge Frau | ein kleines Kind | keine guten Freunde |
| Dative | einem alten Mann | einer jungen Frau | einem kleinen Kind | keinen guten Freunden |
| Ich habe einen neuen Job. | I have a new job. Masculine accusative: always -en. |
| Sie trägt eine rote Jacke. | She is wearing a red jacket. |
| Wir wohnen in einem alten Haus. | We live in an old house. Dative after an article: always -en. |
No article: strong endings
With no article present, the adjective wears the der-word ending itself and carries the case alone.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | guter Wein | frische Milch | kaltes Wasser | alte Bücher |
| Accusative | guten Wein | frische Milch | kaltes Wasser | alte Bücher |
| Dative | gutem Wein | frischer Milch | kaltem Wasser | alten Büchern |
| Frisches Brot schmeckt am besten. | Fresh bread tastes best. No article: frisches shows the neuter nominative itself. |
| Bei schlechtem Wetter bleiben wir zu Hause. | In bad weather we stay at home. bei plus dative, no article: -em. |
| Ich mag deutsche Filme. | I like German films. Plural accusative without article: -e. |
Shortcuts that cover most sentences
- Every dative after an article ends in -en
- Every plural after der, kein, or a possessive ends in -en
- Masculine accusative is always -en, in every table
- Nominative singular after der, die, das is always -e
| Er trinkt kalten Kaffee. | He drinks cold coffee. Masculine accusative, no article: still -en. |
Most cells in the article tables are -en. If you must gamble mid-sentence after an article, -en is the percentage play. Then check the four shortcut rules and you have covered nearly everything.
Pronunciation corner
Endings live in unstressed final syllables. Keep them light and clear.
| schöne | /ˈʃøːnə/ | SHER-nuh without the r: rounded lips on the first vowel |
| guten | /ˈɡuːtn̩/ | GOO-tn, with a swallowed final n |
| frisches | /ˈfʁɪʃəs/ | FRISH-es |
| alten | /ˈaltn̩/ | AHL-tn |
| jungen | /ˈjʊŋən/ | YOONG-en: German j sounds like English y |
Practice drill
Fill in the adjective with its correct ending. The base adjective is in brackets.
der ___ Mann (alt)Show answer
alteNominative after der: -e.
Ich sehe den ___ Mann. (alt)Show answer
altenMasculine accusative: always -en.
Sie kauft ein ___ Auto. (neu)Show answer
neuesein shows nothing here, so the adjective shows neuter -es.
mit einer ___ Freundin (gut)Show answer
gutenDative after an article: -en.
___ Wein schmeckt gut. (rot)Show answer
RoterNo article: strong masculine nominative -er, capitalized at the start.
die ___ Häuser (schön)Show answer
schönenPlural after die: -en.
Ich esse gern ___ Brot. (frisch)Show answer
frischesNo article, neuter accusative: -es.
Wir wohnen in einem ___ Haus. (alt)Show answer
alten
Frequently asked questions
Do I really have to memorize three full tables?
Learn the weak table plus the principle that someone must show the case. The mixed table differs from the weak one in only three cells, and the strong table simply copies the der-word endings onto the adjective. One table plus one idea covers the system.
Which endings follow words like viele and einige?
Plural quantifiers such as viele, einige, and wenige behave like no article, so the adjective takes strong endings: viele gute Ideen, mit vielen guten Ideen.
Do comparatives and superlatives take the same endings?
Yes. The comparative or superlative form is treated like any adjective before a noun: der ältere Mann, ein besseres Angebot, die schönsten Städte.
What ending does the adjective take in the genitive?
In practice, masculine and neuter genitive adjectives end in -en, des alten Mannes, because the noun itself carries the -s. Feminine and plural after der also take -en: der jungen Frau, der guten Freunde.
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