Adjective endings follow a logical system to ensure the case, gender, and number of a noun are always clearly shown once.
1Story in Action
Das neue Smartphone
Felix: Hey Laura, ist das ein neues Handy? Ich habe dein altes Gerät gar nicht wiedererkannt. Es sieht wirklich toll aus!
Hey Laura, is that a new phone? I didn't even recognize your old device. It really looks great!
Mixed Declension: Nominativ Neuter
After an indefinite article ('ein') for a neuter noun in the nominative case, the adjective takes the strong '-es' ending.
ein + Adjective + -es + Neuter Noun (Nom.)
Mixed Declension: Akkusativ Neuter
Possessive articles follow the same rules as indefinite articles. For a neuter noun in the accusative, the adjective also takes '-es'.
Possessive + Adjective + -es + Neuter Noun (Akk.)
Laura: Ja! Ich habe mir endlich das neue Smartphone von der Firma X gekauft. Ein großer Unterschied, oder? Ich hatte kein besseres Angebot gefunden.
Yes! I finally bought myself the new smartphone from company X. A big difference, right? I hadn't found a better offer.
Weak Declension: Akkusativ Neuter
After a definite article ('das'), the article already shows the case and gender, so the adjective only needs the 'weak' '-e' ending.
das + Adjective + -e + Neuter Noun (Akk.)
Mixed Declension: Nominativ Masculine
After 'ein' for a masculine noun in the nominative case, the adjective takes the strong '-er' ending to show it's masculine.
ein + Adjective + -er + Masculine Noun (Nom.)
Mixed Declension: Akkusativ Neuter
The negation article 'kein' functions like the indefinite article. For neuter nouns in the accusative, the adjective takes '-es'.
Kein + Adjective + -es + Neuter Noun (Akk.)
Felix: Das glaube ich sofort! Und was gefällt dir an dem schicken Gerät am besten? Hast du es mit großen Erwartungen gekauft?
I believe that immediately! And what do you like best about the fancy device? Did you buy it with great expectations?
Weak Declension: Dativ Neuter
The preposition 'an' requires the Dativ case here. After the dative definite article 'dem', the adjective always takes the weak '-en' ending.
dem + Adjective + -en + Neuter Noun (Dat.)
Weak Declension: Dativ Plural
The preposition 'mit' requires the Dativ case. For plural nouns in the Dativ, adjectives always take the weak '-en' ending.
Preposition + Adjective + -en + Plural Noun (Dat.)
Laura: Es hat einen riesigen Bildschirm und eine unglaubliche Kamera. Die Fotos bei schlechtem Licht sind super. Ich bin voller guter Laune.
It has a huge screen and an incredible camera. The photos in bad light are great. I'm full of good cheer.
Mixed Declension: Akkusativ Masculine
After the masculine accusative article 'einen', the adjective always takes the '-en' ending.
einen + Adjective + -en + Masculine Noun (Akk.)
Mixed Declension: Akkusativ Feminine
After the feminine accusative article 'eine', the adjective takes the '-e' ending.
eine + Adjective + -e + Feminine Noun (Akk.)
Strong Declension: Dativ Neuter
When there is no article, the adjective must take the 'strong' ending. The preposition 'bei' requires Dativ, so the ending is '-em' for neuter nouns.
No Article + Adjective + -em + Neuter Noun (Dat.)
Strong Declension: Genitiv Feminine (after 'voller')
The word 'voller' (full of) acts like a strong declension marker here, making the adjective take the '-er' ending for feminine genitive.
'voller' + Adjective + -er + Feminine Noun (Gen.)
Felix: Das ist wichtig. Und der Akku? Ist die Leistung eines neuen Akkus wirklich besser? Ich frage mich wegen meines alten Handys.
That's important. And the battery? Is the performance of a new battery really better? I'm wondering because of my old phone.
Mixed Declension: Genitiv Masculine
This is the genitive case ('of a new battery'). After the indefinite article 'eines', the adjective always takes the '-en' ending.
eines + Adjective + -en + Masculine Noun (Gen.)
Mixed Declension: Genitiv Neuter
The preposition 'wegen' requires the Genitive case. After the possessive article 'meines', the adjective takes the '-en' ending.
Wegen + Possessive + Adjective + -en + Neuter Noun (Gen.)
Laura: Absolut! Selbst bei starker Nutzung hält er den ganzen Tag. Ich werde mein altes, langsames Handy wohl bald verkaufen.
Absolutely! Even with heavy use, it lasts the whole day. I guess I'll sell my old, slow phone soon.
Strong Declension: Dativ Feminine
With no article and a preposition requiring Dativ ('bei'), the adjective takes the strong ending for feminine dative, which is '-er'.
No Article + Adjective + -er + Feminine Noun (Dat.)
Weak Declension: Akkusativ Masculine
After the masculine accusative article 'den', the adjective takes the weak '-en' ending.
den + Adjective + -en + Masculine Noun (Akk.)
Strong Declension: Akkusativ Neuter (Multiple Adjectives)
When there is no article, the adjective takes the strong ending. Here, we have multiple adjectives, and all take the strong '-es' ending for neuter accusative.
No Article + Adjective + -es + Neuter Noun (Akk.)
2Why This Matters
Adjective endings are the polish on your grammar shoes—get them right and every gender, case, and article agreement signals “advanced speaker” to examiners and natives alike. They turn basic descriptions into grammatically flawless snapshots that shine in both writing and speech.
3Weak Declension
The 'Lazy' Rule: Used after definite articles (der, die, das, etc.) that do all the grammatical work. The adjective only needs two simple endings: -e or -en.
Trigger: After articles like der, die, das, den, dem, dieser, jeder, welcher.
Ending Pattern: Use '-e' for nominative singular and accusative feminine/neuter. Use '-en' for all other cases.
| Example | English | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| der alte FernseherNominativ Masculine | ||
| mit dem neuen ProgrammDativ Neuter | ||
| die wichtigsten WerkeNominativ/Akkusativ Plural |
4Strong Declension
The 'Hard Work' Rule: Used when there is no article. The adjective must do the 'strong' work itself and take the ending the definite article would have had.
Trigger: When there is no article before the adjective.
Ending Source: The adjective ending mimics the ending of the definite article for that case (e.g., guter Wein from 'der').
| Example | English | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Alter Wein ist teuer.Nominativ Masculine (like 'der Wein') | ||
| bei strömendem RegenDativ Neuter (like 'dem Regen') | ||
| alte Münzen sind wertvollNominativ Plural (like 'die Münzen') |
5Nominalized Adjectives
A nominalized adjective is an adjective that is capitalized and functions as a noun, but is still declined like an adjective. It's a way to talk about people or things based on their characteristics without using a separate noun.
Referring To People: When referring to people, the gender must be clear. 'der/ein Beamte' (the/a male official), 'die/eine Beamtin' (the/a female official), 'die Beamten' (the officials, plural).
Referring To Abstracts: After indefinite pronouns like 'etwas' (something), 'nichts' (nothing), 'viel' (a lot), 'wenig' (a little), the adjective is capitalized and takes the strong neuter ending '-es'.
Superlatives: Superlatives can also be nominalized, often with 'am' + '-sten' (am schnellsten) or as nouns (das Beste).
| Example | English | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Der Verletzte wurde ins Krankenhaus gebracht. | The injured person (male) was brought to the hospital. | Refers to a male person defined by his state ('injured').Weak declension after 'der'. Masculine, Nominativ → 'der Verletzte'. |
| Wir suchen eine Angestellte mit Erfahrung. | We are looking for a female employee with experience. | Refers to a female person defined by her profession ('employed').Mixed declension after 'eine'. Feminine, Akkusativ → 'eine Angestellte'. |
| Gestern brach ein Unbekannter ins Museum ein. | Yesterday a stranger (male) broke into the museum. | Refers to an unknown male person.Mixed declension after 'ein'. Masculine, Nominativ → 'ein Unbekannter'. |
| Alle Anwesenden bekamen Werbegeschenke. | All those present received promotional gifts. | Refers to a group of people defined by their presence ('present').Weak declension after 'alle' (plural). Plural, Nominativ → 'die Anwesenden'. |
| Ich möchte dir etwas Wichtiges sagen. | I would like to tell you something important. | Refers to an abstract concept ('something important').After 'etwas', the adjective is capitalized and takes the strong neuter ending → 'Wichtiges'. |
| Es gibt nichts Neues. | There is nothing new. | Refers to an abstract concept ('nothing new').After 'nichts', the adjective is capitalized and takes the strong neuter ending → 'Neues'. |
6Practice Exercises
Der __ (neu) Film ist sehr __ (interessant).
61 graded exercises on Adjective Declension, with the mistake explained every time you get one wrong.
10 more B1 grammar topics — see them all