Adjective endings (AQA GCSE German): Revision Notes

Adjective endings

Understanding German adjective endings

German adjectives change their endings depending on the article that comes before them and the case, gender, and number of the noun they describe. There are three main patterns you need to learn, and once you understand these patterns, using adjectives correctly becomes much easier.

Adjectives after der/die/das

When an adjective follows the definite articles der, die, or das, it follows a specific pattern. The same pattern applies to dieser (this), jeder (every), and welcher (which).

The pattern explained

Most adjective endings in this group are -e, but there are important exceptions. All plural adjectives, dative adjectives, genitive adjectives, AND masculine accusative singular adjectives take the ending -en instead.

Examples in all cases

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	der alte Mann	die alte Frau	das alte Haus	die alten Häuser
Accusative	den alten Mann	die alte Frau	das alte Haus	die alten Häuser
Dative	dem alten Mann	der alten Frau	dem alten Haus	den alten Häusern
Genitive	des alten Mannes	der alten Frau	des alten Hauses	der alten Häuser

Creating nouns from adjectives

You can turn adjectives into nouns by giving them a capital letter. For example, der Alte means "the old man" and die Alte means "the old woman". These nouns follow the same adjective ending rules based on their case.

Adjectives after ein/eine/ein

When adjectives follow the indefinite articles ein, eine, or ein, or negative articles like kein, keine, kein, or possessive adjectives (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, Ihr), they use a different pattern.

The pattern explained

After these articles, many more adjective endings become -en. Specifically, all plural adjectives, all dative and genitive adjectives, AND masculine accusative singular adjectives end in -en. The remaining forms end in -e.

Examples in all cases

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	ein alter Mann	eine alte Frau	ein altes Haus	keine alten Häuser
Accusative	einen alten Mann	eine alte Frau	ein altes Haus	keine alten Häuser
Dative	einem alten Mann	einer alten Frau	einem alten Haus	keinen alten Häusern
Genitive	eines alten Mannes	einer alten Frau	eines alten Hauses	keiner alten Häuser

Adjectives with no article

When there's no article before the adjective, the adjective endings follow yet another pattern. These endings closely resemble the endings of the der/die/das system, with a few exceptions in the genitive case.

The pattern explained

Without an article, the adjective must show the case and gender more clearly. The endings look very similar to the definite article system, which helps you remember them. For example, gutes Wetter is neuter (like das), and this reminds you of das.

Examples in all cases

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	schwarzer Kaffee	kalte Milch	gutes Wetter	nette Leute
Accusative	schwarzen Kaffee	kalte Milch	gutes Wetter	nette Leute
Dative	schwarzem Kaffee	kalter Milch	gutem Wetter	netten Leuten
Genitive	schwarzen Kaffees	kalter Milch	guten Wetters	netter Leute

Special cases to remember

Compound and negative adjectives

Compound adjectives (like hellbraun for light brown or dunkelgrün for dark green) and negative adjectives (like unglücklich for unhappy or unmöglich for impossible) follow exactly the same ending patterns as regular adjectives. Don't let their length or complexity fool you - the rules remain the same.

Practice exercises

Try adding the correct ending to each adjective:

1. Der alt_____ Mann wohnt in dieser klein_____ Stadt.
2. Mein best_____ Freund hat einen älter_____ Bruder.
3. Ich habe heute unglücklich_____ Nachrichten bekommen.
4. Ich möchte bitte schwarz_____ Tee.
5. Wir waren mit nett_____ Leuten zusammen.

Answers:

1. Der alte Mann wohnt in dieser kleinen Stadt.
2. Mein bester Freund hat einen älteren Bruder.
3. Ich habe heute unglückliche Nachrichten bekommen.
4. Ich möchte bitte schwarzen Tee.
5. Wir waren mit netten Leuten zusammen.

Grammar and pronunciation tips

• Remember that the adjective ending depends on three things: the article (or lack of article), the case, and the gender/number
• Practice saying the phrases out loud - the rhythm of German will help you remember the correct endings
• When in doubt, think about whether the adjective needs to "work harder" (longer endings) or can "relax" (shorter endings) based on how much information the article already provides

Remember!

• There are three main groups of adjective endings: after der/die/das, after ein/eine/ein, and with no article
• Most endings are either -e or -en, with some special cases taking endings that match the case system
• Compound and negative adjectives follow the same rules as simple adjectives
• The adjective must agree with the noun's case, gender, and number
• Practice with real examples helps you internalise the patterns more effectively than memorising tables alone