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Lesson 37: Adjective declension — endings across the cases

Vocabulary: Describing appearance and character

Completing this lesson will add to your overall progress:

VocabularyA1+0.8%A2+2%B1+3%B2+0.5%
GrammarA1+1%A2+3%B1+4%

How to work with this lesson

  1. Read the rule — get the logic (5 minutes)
  2. Translate the exercises in writing — check against the key
  3. Say it out loud — slowly, consciously, analyzing every ending
  4. Speed up — drill the matrix until it flies out on autopilot

You already know all four cases and Genitiv from Lesson 36. Now you bolt on adjective endings. This is the toughest topic in the course. English speakers panic here because English does NOT decline adjectives at all — "big house, big houses, in the big house, of the big houses" — never changes. German changes the adjective up to six different ways. But there's one principle that turns chaos into logic. Hold onto it.

Part 1: Somebody has to flag the gender

In English, an adjective is a frozen brick: "the tall man, a tall man, with the tall man" — "tall" never moves. In German, the gender, case and number have to be visible somewhere in the noun phrase. Sometimes the article carries that signal. Sometimes it doesn't. When the article does the job, the adjective relaxes. When the article slacks off, the adjective picks up the slack.

Gender is a sign someone has to hold up. The article holds it → adjective rests. The article is weak (or missing) → adjective grabs the sign and carries it.

Part 2: The main hack — "Who's flagging the gender?"

Article clearly shows gender → adjective gets the weak ending -e / -en. Article does NOT show gender → adjective takes the strong ending (same letter the article should have had).

That's the whole system. Three declension tables, one logic.

Three situations:

  1. After der/die/das (and dieser, jeder, welcher) — the article shows gender. Adjective: -e or -en.
  2. After ein/mein/kein — "ein" in Nom masc./neut. has NO ending → the adjective steps in: ein großer Mann, ein kleines Kind.
  3. No article — adjective carries everything. Its endings copy the definite article.

Part 3: Type 1 — after der-words (weak declension)

After der, die, das, dieser, jeder, welcher, alle:

Masc. (der)Neut. (das)Fem. (die)Plural (die)
Nomder große Manndas kleine Kinddie junge Fraudie alten Leute
Akkden großen Manndas kleine Kinddie junge Fraudie alten Leute
Datdem großen Manndem kleinen Kindder jungen Frauden alten Leuten
Gendes großen Mannesdes kleinen Kindesder jungen Frauder alten Leute
  1. Nom singular — always -e. Plural Nom — -en.
  2. Everything else — -en. End of story.
  3. Akk neuter and feminine = Nom (still -e). Only masc. Akk shifts to -en.

After der-words the adjective only knows two endings: -e and -en. Beautifully simple.

Part 4: Type 2 — after ein-words (mixed declension)

After ein, eine, mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, kein:

Masc.Neut.Fem.Plural
Nomein großer Mannein kleines Kindeine junge Fraumeine alten Freunde
Akkeinen großen Mannein kleines Kindeine junge Fraumeine alten Freunde
Dateinem großen Manneinem kleinen Kindeiner jungen Fraumeinen alten Freunden
Geneines großen Manneseines kleinen Kindeseiner jungen Fraumeiner alten Freunde

Difference from Type 1 — exactly two cells:

  1. Nom masc. — ein großer Mann. "Ein" has no ending → the adjective steps in: -er.
  2. Nom/Akk neut. — ein kleines Kind. "Ein" has no ending → adjective: -es.

Trap! "Ein großer Mann" (Nom) vs. "einen großen Mann" (Akk). In Akk, "einen" already wears -en → article shows gender → adjective goes back to weak -en.

Part 5: Type 3 — no article (strong declension)

With no article, the adjective shoulders everything. Its endings copy the definite article:

Masc.Neut.Fem.Plural
Nomgroßer Mannkaltes Bierfrische Milchalte Freunde
Akkgroßen Mannkaltes Bierfrische Milchalte Freunde
Datgroßem Mannkaltem Bierfrischer Milchalten Freunden
Gengroßen Manneskalten Kindesfrischer Milchalter Freunde

No-article phrases mostly appear with: substances (kaltes Bier, frische Milch), plurals (gute Freunde), abstract concepts (großer Mut).

Trap! Masc./neut. Gen without article: not -es, but -en (trotz großen Mutes). But this is rare — don't lose sleep over it.

Next up: Lesson 38 — Verb government (Rektion): worauf, woran, wofür. You'll find out why Germans say "Ich freue mich darauf" instead of just "Ich freue mich" — and how to ask questions to verbs that drag a preposition behind them, just like English "I rely ON, I'm afraid OF, I look forward TO".

Lesson 37: Adjective declension — endings across the cases · Deutsch · Glottos Matrix