1. Introduction

In German, adjectives change their endings depending on case (Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive), gender (masculine, feminine, neuter, plural), and whether they follow a definite article (der, die, das, etc.).

When an adjective comes after a definite article (“der,” “die,” “das,” “dieser,” “jener,” etc.), it takes the weak declension (also called “schwache Deklination”).

Example:

• • • Der kluge Mann liest ein Buch. (The intelligent man reads a book.)
    • Die schöne Frau singt. (The beautiful woman sings.)
    • Das kleine Kind spielt. (The small child plays.)

2. Adjective Endings After “Der”-Words (Weak Declension)

When an adjective follows a definite article (der, die, das, etc.), the ending depends on the case and number.

2.1 Declension Table

Key Rule:

• Adjective endings are mostly -e or -en.
• In the nominative and accusative singular, adjectives get -e, except for masculine accusative (-en).
• In dative and genitive cases, adjectives always get -en.

3. Explanation of Each Case

3.1 Nominative Case (Subject)

Used for the subject of the sentence.

Examples:

• • • Der nette Mann hilft. (The nice man helps.)
    • Die kluge Frau spricht. (The intelligent woman speaks.)
    • Das kleine Kind spielt. (The small child plays.)
    • Die alten Männer sind müde. (The old men are tired.)

3.2 Accusative Case (Direct Object)

Used for the direct object of the sentence.

Examples:

• • • Ich sehe den netten Mann. (I see the nice man.)
    • Sie besucht die kluge Frau. (She visits the intelligent woman.)
    • Er kauft das kleine Kind ein Geschenk. (He buys the small child a gift.)
    • Wir mögen die alten Männer. (We like the old men.)

3.3 Dative Case (Indirect Object)

Used for the indirect object of the sentence.

Examples:

• • • Ich gebe dem netten Mann das Buch. (I give the nice man the book.)
    • Sie hilft der klugen Frau. (She helps the intelligent woman.)
    • Er schenkt dem kleinen Kind eine Puppe. (He gives the small child a doll.)
    • Wir sagen den alten Männern “Hallo”. (We say “Hello” to the old men.)

3.4 Genitive Case (Possession)

Shows possession or relationship.

Examples:

• • • Das Auto des netten Mannes ist rot. (The car of the nice man is red.)
    • Die Stimme der klugen Frau ist schön. (The voice of the intelligent woman is beautiful.)
    • Die Spielsachen des kleinen Kindes sind überall. (The toys of the small child are everywhere.)
    • Die Geschichte der alten Männer ist interessant. (The story of the old men is interesting.)

4. Adjectives After Other “Der”-Words

Adjectives also take weak declension after other definite words such as:

Examples:

• • • Jeder kluge Mensch weiß das. (Every intelligent person knows that.)
    • Dieser nette Mann ist mein Onkel. (This nice man is my uncle.)
    • Welche große Tasche gehört dir? (Which big bag belongs to you?)
    • Alle schönen Häuser sind teuer. (All beautiful houses are expensive.)

5. Common Mistakes and Tips

✅ Mistake 1: Using strong endings instead of weak endings
❌ Der kluger Mann ist nett.
✅ Der kluge Mann ist nett.

✅ Mistake 2: Forgetting -en in dative/genitive cases
❌ Ich gebe dem klein Kind ein Buch.
✅ Ich gebe dem kleinen Kind ein Buch.

✅ Mistake 3: Confusing weak declension with mixed or strong declension
Weak declension is only used when an adjective follows a definite article.

6. Summary

✅ When an adjective follows a definite article (der, die, das, dieser, jeder, etc.), it takes weak declension.
✅ The endings are mostly -e (nominative & accusative singular) and -en (everything else).
✅ All dative and genitive forms take -en.
✅ This pattern applies to all “der”-words.

Declension of Adjectives Preceded by an “EIN”-Word in German

1. Introduction

In German, adjectives change their endings based on:

• • • Case (Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive)
    • Gender (Masculine, Feminine, Neuter, Plural)
    • Type of article preceding the adjective

When an adjective follows an “ein”-word (ein, eine, ein, mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, ihr, Ihr), it takes the mixed declension (gemischte Deklination).

Example:

• • • Ein kluger Mann liest ein Buch. (A smart man reads a book.)
    • Eine schöne Frau singt. (A beautiful woman sings.)
    • Ein kleines Kind spielt. (A small child plays.)

This happens because “ein” and similar words do not always indicate gender clearly (e.g., “ein” could be masculine or neuter), so the adjective helps clarify it.

2. Declension Table (Adjective Endings After “EIN”-Words)

Key Rules:

1. 1. 1. Adjective endings change based on case and gender.
      2. In nominative singular:

• • • • -er for masculine (ein großer Mann)
      • -e for feminine (eine große Frau)
      • -es for neuter (ein großes Kind)

1. 1. 1. All dative and genitive forms end in -en.
      2. Plural always takes -en and “keine” as the indefinite article.

3. Explanation of Each Case

3.1 Nominative Case (Subject)

Used for the subject of the sentence.

Examples:

• • • Ein kluger Mann arbeitet hier. (A smart man works here.)
    • Eine schöne Frau tanzt. (A beautiful woman dances.)
    • Ein kleines Kind spielt. (A small child plays.)
    • Keine netten Menschen sind hier. (No nice people are here.)

3.2 Accusative Case (Direct Object)

Used for the direct object of the sentence.

Examples:

• • • Ich sehe einen klugen Mann. (I see a smart man.)
    • Sie trifft eine schöne Frau. (She meets a beautiful woman.)
    • Er kauft ein kleines Kind ein Geschenk. (He buys a small child a gift.)
    • Wir mögen keine netten Menschen. (We don’t like any nice people.)

3.3 Dative Case (Indirect Object)

Used for the indirect object of the sentence.

Examples:

• • • Ich gebe einem klugen Mann das Buch. (I give a smart man the book.)
    • Sie hilft einer schönen Frau. (She helps a beautiful woman.)
    • Er schenkt einem kleinen Kind eine Puppe. (He gives a small child a doll.)
    • Wir sagen keinen netten Menschen “Hallo”. (We say “Hello” to no nice people.)

3.4 Genitive Case (Possession)

Shows possession or relationship.

Examples:

• • • Das Auto eines klugen Mannes ist rot. (The car of a smart man is red.)
    • Die Stimme einer schönen Frau ist toll. (The voice of a beautiful woman is great.)
    • Die Spielsachen eines kleinen Kindes sind überall. (The toys of a small child are everywhere.)
    • Die Geschichte keiner netten Menschen ist interessant. (The story of no nice people is interesting.)

4. Adjectives After Other “EIN”-Words

Adjectives also take mixed declension after possessive words:

Examples:

• • • Mein kluger Bruder liest viel. (My smart brother reads a lot.)
    • Deine schöne Schwester singt. (Your beautiful sister sings.)
    • Unser kleines Kind schläft. (Our small child is sleeping.)
    • Eure netten Freunde kommen heute. (Your nice friends are coming today.)

5. Common Mistakes and Tips

✅ Mistake 1: Using strong declension instead of mixed declension
❌ Ein klug Mann ist hier.
✅ Ein kluger Mann ist hier.

✅ Mistake 2: Forgetting -en in dative/genitive cases
❌ Ich gebe einem klug Mann das Buch.
✅ Ich gebe einem klugen Mann das Buch.

✅ Mistake 3: Using “keine” without the correct plural adjective ending
❌ Keine nett Menschen sind hier.
✅ Keine netten Menschen sind hier.

6. Summary

✅ When an adjective follows “ein” or similar words (mein, dein, sein, etc.), it takes mixed declension.
✅ The endings vary by case and gender.
✅ Plural always uses “keine” and takes -en.

Declension of Adjectives Not Preceded by a “DER” or “EIN” Word in German

In German, adjectives that are not preceded by a definite article (der, die, das, etc.) or an indefinite article (ein, eine, etc.) follow the strong declension (also known as “starke Deklination”). This occurs when the adjective stands alone without any article or possessive pronoun.

1. When Does This Occur?

• When an adjective is used without an article (no “der,” “ein,” etc.), it takes the strong declension.
• This is common when adjectives are used as predicates or in attributive positions where no article is present.

2. Declension Table for Strong Declension

The adjective endings are determined by the gender, case, and number of the noun they describe.

Key Notes on Strong Declension:

1. Nominative Singular:

• • Masculine: -er (großer Mann)
  • Feminine: -e (große Frau)
  • Neuter: -es (großes Kind)
  • Plural: -e (große Kinder)

2. Accusative Singular:

• • Masculine: -en (großen Mann)
  • Feminine: -e (große Frau)
  • Neuter: -es (großes Kind)
  • Plural: -e (große Kinder)

3. Dative Singular:

• • Masculine: -em (großem Mann)
  • Feminine: -er (großer Frau)
  • Neuter: -em (großem Kind)
  • Plural: -en (großen Kindern)

4. Genitive Singular:

• • Masculine: -en (großen Mannes)
  • Feminine: -er (großer Frau)
  • Neuter: -en (großen Kindes)
  • Plural: -er (großer Kinder)

3. Explanation of Each Case

3.1 Nominative Case (Subject)

The nominative case is used for the subject of the sentence.

Examples:

• • • Großer Mann arbeitet. (A tall man works.) – Masculine singular
    • Große Frau spricht. (The tall woman speaks.) – Feminine singular
    • Großes Kind spielt. (The small child plays.) – Neuter singular
    • Große Kinder spielen. (The tall children play.) – Plural

3.2 Accusative Case (Direct Object)

The accusative case is used for the direct object of the sentence.

Examples:

• • • Ich sehe großen Mann. (I see a tall man.) – Masculine singular
    • Sie hört große Frau. (She hears the tall woman.) – Feminine singular
    • Er kauft großes Kind ein Buch. (He buys the small child a book.) – Neuter singular
    • Wir lieben große Kinder. (We love the tall children.) – Plural

3.3 Dative Case (Indirect Object)

The dative case is used for the indirect object of the sentence.

Examples:

• • • Ich gebe großem Mann das Buch. (I give the tall man the book.) – Masculine singular
    • Sie hilft großer Frau. (She helps the tall woman.) – Feminine singular
    • Er schenkt großem Kind ein Spielzeug. (He gives the small child a toy.) – Neuter singular
    • Wir sagen den großen Kindern “Hallo”. (We say “Hello” to the tall children.) – Plural

3.4 Genitive Case (Possession)

The genitive case is used to show possession or relationship.

Examples:

• • • Das Auto großen Mannes ist neu. (The car of the tall man is new.) – Masculine singular
    • Die Stimme großer Frau ist schön. (The voice of the tall woman is beautiful.) – Feminine singular
    • Das Buch großen Kindes liegt hier. (The book of the small child is here.) – Neuter singular
    • Die Spielsachen großer Kinder sind überall. (The toys of the tall children are everywhere.) – Plural

4. Use of Strong Declension with Predicates

Adjectives that follow predicative use (after a verb like sein (to be), werden (to become), or bleiben (to remain)) do not take articles, and they also follow the strong declension.

Examples:

• • • Er ist großer Mann. (He is a tall man.)
    • Sie bleibt große Frau. (She remains a tall woman.)
    • Das Kind wird großes Kind. (The child becomes a small child.)

5. When Does This Declension Occur?

This strong declension is typically used:

1. 1. 1. Without any article: There is no “der,” “die,” or “ein” before the adjective.
      2. When a noun is used alone (e.g., as a predicative adjective or when adjectives are used in a general sense).
         Example: Große Kinder spielen draußen. (Big children play outside.)
      3. In certain fixed expressions where adjectives don’t have articles:
         Example: Gute Nacht! (Good night!)

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

✅ Mistake 1: Using the wrong endings for cases
❌ Ich sehe großen Mann.
✅ Ich sehe großen Mann. (Correct: großen for accusative masculine)

✅ Mistake 2: Forgetting the plural endings
❌ Ich sehe groß Kinder.
✅ Ich sehe große Kinder. (Correct: große for plural)

✅ Mistake 3: Incorrect genitive endings
❌ Das Auto große Mannes ist neu.
✅ Das Auto großen Mannes ist neu. (Correct: großen for genitive masculine)

7. Summary

• • • Adjectives without articles (no “der” or “ein”) follow the strong declension.
    • Strong declension endings vary based on case, gender, and number.
    • The key adjective endings are -er, -e, -es, and -en.
    • Plural forms always end in -e, and dative/genitive forms end in -en.
    • This form occurs most often when no article precedes the adjective, especially in general statements or predicates.