Adjektivdeklination mit bestimmtem Artikel
Adjektivdeklination (bestimmt) — for English Speakers
Introduction
In English, adjectives never change: 'the big man', 'the big woman', 'the big child' — always 'big'. In German, adjectives between an article and a noun get endings that depend on gender, case, and number. After definite articles (der/die/das), the pattern is simpler: mostly -e or -en. This is one of German's most error-prone areas for English speakers.
German vs English
In German
der große Mann / die große Frau / das große Kind
In English
the big man / the big woman / the big child
Key Difference
German adds endings to 'groß'; English 'big' never changes.
In German
Nominative: -e (der große, die große, das große)
In English
No parallel — English adjectives are invariable
Key Difference
After definite articles, German uses -e for nominative and -en for most other cases.
Common Mistakes for English Speakers
Der groß Mann steht dort.
Leaving the adjective bare — English never adds endings, so learners forget them.
Ich sehe der große Mann.
Forgetting both the article change (der → den) AND the adjective ending change (-e → -en).
Practice Examples
Die kleine Katze schläft.
The small cat is sleeping.
Ich kaufe das rote Kleid.
I'm buying the red dress.
Er trinkt den kalten Kaffee.
He drinks the cold coffee.
Memory Tip
After der/die/das: nominative = -e, everything else = -en. Just two options to remember!
View Grammar Rule
Adjektivdeklination mit bestimmtem Artikel
Adjektivdeklination (bestimmt) — A2
Practice Exercises
Adjektivdeklination mit bestimmtem Artikel Übungen
8 exercises
Other Languages
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