Posted by The most interesting thing about German Adjectives isn’t just that they are voluminous but that they may also be declined which in turn makes them complex irrespective of their forms i.e whether they are basic, comparative and superlative Adjectives or those that are derived from either Partizip I or Partizip II. This declension of German Adjectives usually follows a definite pattern which has been explained in detail in this post. Find out!
| Content in this post |
|---|
| 1. Factors to consider for adjective declension 2. How to decline adjectives in German 3. Special rules for adjective declension |
Factors To Consider For Adjective Declension
In order to decline German adjectives correctly, prior and excellent knowledge of the three factors below is of great relevance;
- The gender of the noun
- The grammatical case of the noun
- If present, the type of article that precedes the noun
**Note that the adjective endings for indefinite, negation and possessive articles are the same.
How To Decline Adjectives In German
According to the factors above which have been combined in the table below, German adjectives are always declined when they are placed in front of a noun or converted to substantive nouns. This of course is not possible when they are complementary to verbs such as sein, aussehen, finden etc.
| Ending category | Nom | Akk | Dat | Gen | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Definite articles (the, that, those, this; der, die, das, dies) | -e -e -e -en | -en -e -e -en | -en -en -en -en | -en -en -en -en | M F N P |
| Indefinite, negation & possessive articles (ein, kein & mein etc.) | -er -e -es -e | -en -e -es -e | -en -en -en -en | -en -en -en -en | M F N P |
| No preceding article | -er -e -es -e | -en -e -es -e | -em -er -em -en | -en -er -en -er | M F N P |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| 1. Der alte Mann kauft seinem geschiedene Frau eine schöne Blume | The old man is buying a beautiful flower for his divorced wife. |
| 2. Die arme Frau hat vor dem höhen alten Gebäude gestanden. | The poor woman was standing in front of the tall old building. |
| 3. Meine Schwester ist das Schönste. | My sister is the most beautiful. |
| 4. Wir haben eine bessere Lösung gefunden. | We have found a better solution. |
| 5. Die schönen Töchter des reichen Präsidenten machen ihren Urlaub in Paris. | The beautiful daughters of the rich president are spending their holiday in Paris. |
Special Rules For Adjective Declension
Some adjectives don’t follow the normal rules of adjectives declension. They are slightly modified if at all they would be declined. Hence, for every time one intends to decline adjectives in German, the following rules must then be adhered to.
- Adjectives that end with “-e” don’t require another “-e” when attaching the declension suffix. E.g böse
- Adjectives that end with “-el” or “-er” must lose the preceding “-e” before attaching the declined suffix. E.g dunkel, teuer
- Adjectives that end with “-a” are never declined. E.g rosa, lila, prima, extra
- Adjectives that end with “-s” must lose their “s” before attaching the declined suffix. E.g rechts
- Adjectives that complement verbs are never declined
| German | English |
|---|---|
| 1. Der böse Mann geht jetzt nach Hause. | The wicked man is going home now. |
| 2. Ich mag dunkle Farben. | I like dark colours. |
| 3. Meine Schwester hat den teuren Rock gekauft. | my sister has bought the expensive skirt. |
| 4. Wieso hat deine kleine Nichte ihren rechten Arm gebrochen? | how come your little niece broke her right arm? |
| 5. Sara möchte ihren süßen Mutter eine rosa Tasche kaufen. | Sara would like to buy a pink bag for her sweet mother. |
Declension of German adjectives is done based on three things; The gender of the noun, the grammatical case and the preceding article