Explanation
Predicative vs. Attributive Adjectives
In German, adjectives behave differently depending on where they are in a sentence. When an adjective comes after a verb like sein (to be) or bleiben (to stay), it is called 'predicative' and does not change. For example, "Das Brot ist hart." However, when an adjective stands directly before a noun, it is 'attributive' and must take a specific ending to match the gender, case, and number of the noun.
The Three Types of Declension
There are three main patterns for adjective endings in German, depending on what kind of article (determiner) comes before the adjective:
Key Patterns for A2 Learners
At the A2 level, you should focus on the most frequent patterns. In the Weak Declension, the endings are mostly -e or -en. In the Mixed Declension, the adjective must help signal the gender of the noun (e.g., -er for masculine nominative or -es for neuter nominative). A helpful rule of thumb: almost all adjectives in the Dative case or in the Plural with an article end in -en.
Common Exceptions
While most adjectives follow these rules, a few are special. Adjectives ending in -el (like dunkel) or -er (like teuer) often drop the 'e' before the ending (e.g., ein dunkler Raum). Adjectives like prima or colors like rosa never take an ending at all.
Reference Tables
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural (keine/meine) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -er | -e | -es | -en |
| Accusative | -en | -e | -es | -en |
| Dative | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| Accusative | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| Dative | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Examples
Sie trug einen goldenen Ring.
She wore a golden ring.
Er isst gerne belgische Waffeln.
He likes to eat Belgian waffles.
Das war ein sehr aufregender Tag.
That was a very exciting day.
Das ist das letzte Mal.
This is the last time.
Er hat einen britischen Akzent.
He has a British accent.
Common Mistakes
Adjectives before a noun must have an ending. For a masculine noun in the nominative after 'ein', the ending is -er.
Adjectives do not take endings when they follow the verb 'sein' (predicative use).
In the accusative masculine, adjectives after 'einen' must take the -en ending.