Adjektivdeklination (vollständig)
Adjektivdeklination — for English Speakers
Introduction
In English, adjectives never change: 'a tall man', 'the tall man', 'tall men'. In German, adjectives before a noun must take an ending that reflects gender, case, and number. The ending also depends on whether the adjective follows a definite article, indefinite article, or no article at all. This three-way system is one of the biggest hurdles for English speakers.
German vs English
In German
Ein alter Mann (an old man — mixed declension)
In English
An old man — 'old' never changes
Key Difference
German 'alt' gets -er ending to show masculine nominative after 'ein'; English 'old' stays 'old'.
In German
Kaltes Wasser (cold water — strong declension, no article)
In English
Cold water — 'cold' never changes
Key Difference
Without an article, German adjectives must carry the case/gender signal themselves.
Common Mistakes for English Speakers
Ich trinke ein kalt Wasser.
Leaving the adjective undeclined — English never adds endings, so it feels unnatural to do so.
Der alte Frau ist nett.
Mismatching the article gender (der instead of die for Frau) and then the adjective ending follows suit.
Practice Examples
Ich mag deutschen Käse.
I like German cheese.
Das ist ein interessantes Buch.
That's an interesting book.
Die kleine Katze schläft.
The small cat is sleeping.
Memory Tip
If the article already shows gender/case, the adjective relaxes (-e or -en). If not, the adjective does the heavy lifting.
View Grammar Rule
Adjektivdeklination (vollständig)
Adjektivdeklination — B1
Practice Exercises
Adjektivdeklination (vollständig) Übungen
8 exercises
Other Languages
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