Adjektivdeklination

📌 In German, adjectives (Adjektiv) that come before a noun must change their ending to match the gender (der, die, das), number (singular, plural), and case (Kasus) of that noun.

The adjective ending depends on the type of article used:

• Declension with definite article (der, die, das)
• Declension with indefinite article (ein, eine)
• Declension with no article ("Nullartikel")

👉 Let’s explore the adjective endings in detail! 🚀

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1. Adjective endings with definite articles (Bestimmter Artikel: der, die, das)

Used when the noun has a definite article: "der, die, das, die (plural)"

Kasus	Masculine (der)	Feminine (die)	Neuter (das)	Plural (die)
Nominative	der nette Mann	die nette Frau	das nette Kind	die netten Kinder
Accusative	den netten Mann	die nette Frau	das nette Kind	die netten Kinder
Dative	dem netten Mann	der netten Frau	dem netten Kind	den netten Kindern

Quick tip:
-e in singular nominative
-en in accusative masculine & dative (all genders)
-en always in plural

Note

One way to remember is: we always use the ending "en" for nouns where the article changes form or in plural. Like den (accusative), dem (dative), etc. In other cases, the ending is "e".

Examples:

• Der kluge Lehrer erklärt die Grammatik.
  (The smart teacher explains the grammar.)

• Ich sehe den netten Mann.
  (I see the kind man.)

• Sie hilft dem kleinen Kind.
  (She helps the small child.)

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2. Adjective endings with indefinite articles (Unbestimmter Artikel: ein, eine)

Used when the noun has an indefinite article: "ein, eine"

Kasus	Masculine (ein)	Feminine (eine)	Neuter (ein)	Plural (keine)
Nominative	ein netter Mann	eine nette Frau	ein nettes Kind	keine netten Kinder
Accusative	einen netten Mann	eine nette Frau	ein nettes Kind	keine netten Kinder
Dative	einem netten Mann	einer netten Frau	einem netten Kind	keinen netten Kindern

Quick tip:
-er, -e, -es like in the definite article table for nominative.
-en in accusative masculine & dative (all genders).
Plural always with "keine" and adjective takes -en.

Note

One way to remember is: we always use the ending "en" for nouns where the article changes form or in plural. Like den (accusative), dem (dative), etc. Other cases follow gender endings.

Examples:

• Ich habe einen großen Hund.
  (I have a big dog.)

• Sie buys a beautiful bag.
  (She buys a beautiful bag.)

• Wir sprechen mit einem netten Lehrer.
  (We are talking to a kind teacher.)

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3. Adjective endings with no article (Nullartikel)

Used when there is no article before the noun, as in general statements or unspecified plural nouns.

Kasus	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	großer Mann	schöne Frau	kleines Kind	nette Kinder
Accusative	großen Mann	schöne Frau	kleines Kind	nette Kinder
Dative	großem Mann	schöner Frau	kleinem Kind	netten Kindern

Quick tip:
-er, -e, -es in nominative (like definite article).
-en in accusative masculine & dative (all genders).
Plural without article → adjective always takes "-en" in dative!

Note

One way to remember is: we always add the ending of the gender that would normally be added to the article, to the adjective instead. This helps the listener understand the gender of the noun.

Examples:

• Starker Kaffee schmeckt gut.
  (Strong coffee tastes good.)

• Ich brauche frisches Brot.
  (I need fresh bread.)

• Mit netten Freunden macht Reisen Spaß.
  (Travelling with nice friends is fun.)

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4. Quick comparison of 3 declension tables

Kasus	Definite article	Indefinite article	No article
Nom.	der nette Mann	ein netter Mann	großer Mann
Acc.	den netten Mann	einen netten Mann	großen Mann
Dat.	dem netten Mann	einem netten Mann	großem Mann

Remarks:

• Adjective always ends with -e or -en.
• Plural and dative always take -en.

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🎯 5. Summary

note

• Adjective endings change when placed before a noun.
• There are 3 ways of declining adjective endings:
  • With definite article (der, die, das) → "der nette Mann."
  • With indefinite article (ein, eine) → "ein netter Mann."
  • With no article → "netter Mann."

📌 Quick learning tips:

• -e in nominative singular (except masculine accusative).
• -en always in dative & plural.
• No article → adjective ending carries more information about gender & case.