A2-B1 Full lesson
Ask any German learner what drives them crazy and you’ll hear it: adjective endings. Why der gute Wein but ein guter Wein and guter Wein? The German name for this topic is Adjektivdeklination, and textbooks usually throw three big tables at you and wish you luck. This lesson does it differently: you’ll learn why the endings change, see the three tables color-coded, and then get a one-rule shortcut that lets you work out most endings without memorizing anything.
Quick answer
German adjective endings depend on the article in front. After der/die/das (weak declension), adjectives take -e or -en. After ein/kein/mein (mixed), they take -er, -es, -e or -en. With no article (strong), the adjective takes the ending the article would have had. Adjectives after a verb (Der Wein ist gut) take no ending at all.
This lesson is part of our German grammar guide. You’ll need to know der, die, das and the four cases first.
Why endings change
German needs to show three things about every noun: its gender, its case and whether it’s singular or plural. Normally the article does that job (der = masculine nominative, dem = masculine or neuter dative). The adjective’s ending is a backup system. If the article already shows the information clearly, the adjective can relax. If the article is missing or unclear, the adjective has to step in.
| Phrase | Who shows “masculine nominative”? | Adjective ending |
|---|---|---|
| der gute Wein | The article: der | Relaxed: -e |
| ein guter Wein | Nobody: ein could be masculine or neuter | Strong: -er |
| guter Wein | No article at all | Strong: -er |
That’s the whole logic. The three tables below are just this idea written out in full.
Not every adjective changes. Only adjectives directly before a noun take endings. After sein, werden or bleiben, the adjective stays in its basic form: Der Kaffee ist heiß. (The coffee is hot.)
Weak declension (after der, die, das)
Use these endings after the definite article and words that work like it: dieser, jener, jeder, welcher, mancher, alle.
| Case | Masculine (der) | Feminine (die) | Neuter (das) | Plural (die) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der gute Mann | die gute Frau | das gute Kind | die guten Leute |
| Accusative | den guten Mann | die gute Frau | das gute Kind | die guten Leute |
| Dative | dem guten Mann | der guten Frau | dem guten Kind | den guten Leuten |
| Genitive | des guten Mannes | der guten Frau | des guten Kindes | der guten Leute |
Weak endings in one sentence
After der/die/das, the ending is -e in five places (all three nominative singulars, plus feminine and neuter accusative) and -en everywhere else. Picture the table: an “-e” corner top left, “-en” in all other cells.
Mixed declension (after ein, kein, mein)
Use these after ein, kein and the possessives mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, Ihr. The difference from the weak table is only in three places, where ein has no ending and doesn’t show the gender.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural (keine/meine) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ein guter Mann | eine gute Frau | ein gutes Kind | keine guten Leute |
| Accusative | einen guten Mann | eine gute Frau | ein gutes Kind | keine guten Leute |
| Dative | einem guten Mann | einer guten Frau | einem guten Kind | keinen guten Leuten |
| Genitive | eines guten Mannes | einer guten Frau | eines guten Kindes | keiner guten Leute |
Notice the three special cells: ein guter Mann, ein gutes Kind (nominative) and ein gutes Kind (accusative). There, the adjective “borrows” the ending of der and das, because ein can’t show it.
Strong declension (no article)
With no article at all, for example with uncountable nouns (kalte Milch), plurals without an article (neue Schuhe), or after numbers (zwei kleine Kinder), the adjective takes the endings of the definite article itself.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | guter Wein | gute Milch | gutes Bier | gute Freunde |
| Accusative | guten Wein | gute Milch | gutes Bier | gute Freunde |
| Dative | gutem Wein | guter Milch | gutem Bier | guten Freunden |
| Genitive | guten Wein(e)s | guter Milch | guten Bier(e)s | guter Freunde |
Compare with the article: der → guter, dem → gutem, das → gutes. The only exception is the masculine and neuter genitive, which use -en because the noun itself already ends in -s.
The one-rule shortcut
Instead of three tables, ask one question: does the word in front of the adjective already show the gender and case clearly?
- Yes (der, dem, den, des, einem, einen, eine, keine…): the adjective takes -e in the nominative singular and feminine/neuter accusative singular, otherwise -en.
- No (no article, or ein/kein/mein with no ending): the adjective takes the “signal” ending the article would have had: -er (der), -es (das), -e (die), -em (dem), -en (den).
And one bonus rule that never fails: in the dative, after any article, the ending is always -en. mit dem neuen Auto, mit einer guten Freundin, mit meinen alten Freunden.
Ich trinke einen heißen Kaffee mit kalter Milch.I’m drinking a hot coffee with cold milk. (einen shows “masc. accusative” → -en; no article for Milch → strong -er, dative feminine)
Why adjective endings are hard (and how memory works)
Choosing an ending needs four decisions in a split second: gender, case, number and article type. That overloads working memory when you’re speaking. What helps is automatizing frequent chunks like mit dem neuen…, ein großes…, einen schönen Tag. Once dozens of chunks are automatic, your brain uses them as templates and you’ll start “hearing” the right ending before you can explain it.
Exercises
Add the right ending. Open each item to check.
1. der alt___ Mann
der alte Mann (weak, nominative)
2. ein klein___ Kind
ein kleines Kind (mixed, neuter nominative)
3. Ich sehe einen groß___ Hund.
einen großen Hund (accusative masculine)
4. mit meiner best___ Freundin
meiner besten Freundin (dative = always -en after an article)
5. kalt___ Wasser
kaltes Wasser (strong, neuter)
6. Wir haben kein___ neu___ Ideen.
keine neuen Ideen (plural after keine)
7. Das Wetter ist schön___ .
schön: no ending after a verb
8. Ich wünsche dir einen schön___ Tag!
einen schönen Tag
Free: German Grammar Cheat Sheet
All three adjective-ending tables plus the article chart on one page. Download the PDF.
FAQs
What is Adjektivdeklination?
It’s the German term for adjective declension: the endings an adjective takes before a noun, depending on gender, case, number and the article in front.
What are weak, mixed and strong adjective endings?
Weak endings follow der/die/das (-e/-en), mixed endings follow ein/kein/mein, and strong endings are used when there’s no article.
What ending do adjectives take after “kein” in the plural?
-en: keine guten Ideen, meine alten Freunde.
Is there a German adjective order?
It’s similar to English: opinion, size, age, color, origin, material. ein schöner großer alter Holztisch (a beautiful big old wooden table). Each adjective takes the same ending.
Do adjectives after sein take endings?
No. Das Auto ist neu. Endings only appear when the adjective stands before a noun: das neue Auto.
Remember the core idea: the ending is a backup for the article. Learn the weak pattern (-e in five places, -en elsewhere), notice the three special ein cells, and use the strong endings when there’s no article. With practice, you’ll choose the endings by feel.
Sources and further reading: German declension on Wikipedia, and check adjective forms in Duden.
Related lesson → German personal pronouns in all cases
