📐 Adjective Endings & Agreement
How German adjective endings change depending on case, gender, and what comes before them
Why Adjective Endings Matter
In German, adjectives that come before a noun must have an ending that agrees with the noun’s gender, case, and number. This is called an attributive adjective. However, when an adjective comes after the verb (predicative position), it has no ending at all. Important: Adjectives after sein (to be) NEVER take endings. Das Haus ist groß (not großes). Only adjectives directly BEFORE a noun need endings.
After Definite Articles (der/die/das)
When a definite article (der, die, das) or a similar word (dieser, jeder, welcher) already shows the gender and case, the adjective takes "weak" endings. The article does the heavy lifting, so the adjective mostly just adds -e or -en.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -e (der große Mann) | -e (die kleine Frau) | -e (das alte Haus) | -en (die neuen Bücher) |
| Accusative | -en (den großen Mann) | -e (die kleine Frau) | -e (das alte Haus) | -en (die neuen Bücher) |
| Dative | -en (dem großen Mann) | -en (der kleinen Frau) | -en (dem alten Haus) | -en (den neuen Büchern) |
| Genitive | -en (des großen Mannes) | -en (der kleinen Frau) | -en (des alten Hauses) | -en (der neuen Bücher) |
After Indefinite Articles (ein/eine)
When an indefinite article (ein, eine) or a possessive (mein, dein, sein, etc.) comes before the adjective, the endings are "mixed." The key difference from the weak table: in nominative masculine, nominative/accusative neuter, and accusative masculine, the adjective must show the gender because ein/mein don’t.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -er (ein großer Mann) | -e (eine kleine Frau) | -es (ein altes Haus) | -en (keine neuen Bücher) |
| Accusative | -en (einen großen Mann) | -e (eine kleine Frau) | -es (ein altes Haus) | -en (keine neuen Bücher) |
| Dative | -en (einem großen Mann) | -en (einer kleinen Frau) | -en (einem alten Haus) | -en (keinen neuen Büchern) |
| Genitive | -en (eines großen Mannes) | -en (einer kleinen Frau) | -en (eines alten Hauses) | -en (keiner neuen Bücher) |
Without Any Article
When no article or determiner comes before the adjective, it must carry the full gender/case signal on its own. These are called "strong" endings, and they closely mirror the endings of der/die/das themselves.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -er (großer Mann) | -e (kleine Frau) | -es (altes Haus) | -e (neue Bücher) |
| Accusative | -en (großen Mann) | -e (kleine Frau) | -es (altes Haus) | -e (neue Bücher) |
| Dative | -em (großem Mann) | -er (kleiner Frau) | -em (altem Haus) | -en (neuen Büchern) |
| Genitive | -en (großen Mannes) | -er (kleiner Frau) | -en (alten Hauses) | -er (neuer Bücher) |
The Simple Rule
All three tables follow one underlying principle: someone has to signal gender and case. If the article already does it, the adjective relaxes to -e or -en. If the article only partially signals it (ein), the adjective fills in the gaps. If there’s no article at all, the adjective does it all.
| Pattern | When? | Key Endings |
|---|---|---|
| Weak (-e / -en) | After der, die, das, dieser, jeder, welcher | Nom: -e (all genders). Everything else: -en. |
| Mixed (-er/-es/-e / -en) | After ein, eine, mein, dein, kein, etc. | Nom masc -er, nom/acc neuter -es, otherwise like weak. |
| Strong (mirrors der/die/das) | No article at all | Adjective takes the article’s own endings. |
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