German Adjective Endings: The Complete A2 System

Master German adjective endings with complete declension tables for all four cases, strong/weak/mixed declension patterns, definite and indefinite articles, predicative vs attributive adjectives, and 180+ practice exercises for A2 exam success.

Article Overview

Reading Time: 20 minutes Word Count: 5,800 words Level: A2 (Elementary) Last Updated: January 2025

Table of Contents

1. Adjective Endings Overview
2. Predicative vs Attributive Adjectives
3. The Three Declension Types
4. Strong Declension (No Article)
5. Weak Declension (Definite Article)
6. Mixed Declension (Indefinite Article)
7. Nominative Case Endings
8. Accusative Case Endings
9. Dative Case Endings
10. Genitive Case Endings (Introduction)
11. Plural Adjective Endings
12. Multiple Adjectives
13. Adjectives as Nouns
14. Participles as Adjectives
15. Comparison Forms with Endings
16. Common Mistakes & Solutions
17. Memory Techniques
18. Practice Exercises (180+)
19. FAQ

Adjective Endings Overview

Adjective endings are one of the most challenging aspects of German grammar - but learnable with the right system!

What Are Adjective Endings?

German adjective endings (Adjektivendungen) are:

• Suffixes added to adjectives that come before nouns
• Determined by gender, case, and article type
• REQUIRED for grammatical correctness
• Not needed when adjective comes after verb

English: The red car (no ending change) German: Das rote Auto (ending -e added)

The challenge: The ending changes based on THREE factors:

1. Gender of the noun (masculine, feminine, neuter)
2. Case of the noun (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive)
3. Article type (definite, indefinite, or no article)

Why Adjective Endings Matter:

Frequency:

• Appear in 45% of A2 sentences
• Account for 30% of A2 grammar errors
• Essential for natural German
• Critical for exams

A2 Exam Requirements: According to CEFR A2 standards: ✓ Master weak declension (with definite articles) ✓ Master mixed declension (with indefinite articles) ✓ Know strong declension basics (without articles) ✓ Use correct endings in nominative and accusative ✓ Apply endings in simple dative contexts ✓ Recognize genitive patterns

The good news: There are patterns! Once you learn the system, it becomes manageable.

Predicative vs Attributive Adjectives

The most important first distinction - does the adjective need an ending?

Predicative Adjectives (NO Ending)

Definition: Adjectives that come AFTER the verb (usually "sein" or "werden")

Structure: Noun + Verb + Adjective (no ending!)

Examples:

• Das Auto ist rot. (The car is red.)
• Die Frau ist nett. (The woman is nice.)
• Das Buch ist interessant. (The book is interesting.)
• Die Kinder sind müde. (The children are tired.)
• Der Kaffee wird kalt. (The coffee is getting cold.)

Rule: NO ENDING when adjective comes after the verb!

More examples:

• Der Film war gut. (The film was good.)
• Die Prüfung ist schwer. (The exam is difficult.)
• Das Wetter bleibt schön. (The weather stays nice.)

Attributive Adjectives (NEED Ending)

Definition: Adjectives that come DIRECTLY BEFORE the noun they describe

Structure: Article + Adjective + Ending + Noun

Examples:

• Das rote Auto (the red car) - ending -e
• Die nette Frau (the nice woman) - ending -e
• Das interessante Buch (the interesting book) - ending -e
• Die müden Kinder (the tired children) - ending -en

Rule: ALWAYS add an ending when adjective comes before the noun!

Comparison:

| Predicative (no ending) | Attributive (needs ending) | |------------------------|---------------------------| | Das Auto ist rot. | Das rote Auto. | | Die Frau ist nett. | Die nette Frau. | | Das Buch ist gut. | Das gute Buch. | | Der Mann ist groß. | Der große Mann. |

Memory aid:

• After verb = no ending
• Before noun = add ending

The Three Declension Types

Understanding which pattern to use is crucial.

Overview of the Three Types

German has THREE different adjective declension patterns depending on what comes before the adjective:

1. Strong Declension (NO ARTICLE)

• When there's NO article before the adjective
• Adjective must show gender/case clearly
• Endings: -er, -e, -es, -en, -em
• Example: guter Wein (good wine)

2. Weak Declension (DEFINITE ARTICLE)

• After definite articles: der, die, das
• After dieser, jeder, welcher, alle
• Article already shows gender/case, so adjective has simple endings
• Endings: mostly -en, some -e
• Example: der gute Wein (the good wine)

3. Mixed Declension (INDEFINITE ARTICLE)

• After indefinite articles: ein, eine, ein
• After kein, keine, kein
• After possessives: mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer
• Combination of strong and weak
• Endings: mix of both patterns
• Example: ein guter Wein (a good wine)

Decision Tree

Step 1: Is there an article?

• NO article → Strong declension
• YES, there is an article → Go to Step 2

Step 2: What type of article?

• Definite (der/die/das) → Weak declension
• Indefinite (ein/eine/ein) or possessive (mein/dein) → Mixed declension

Visual Guide:

Article before adjective?

│ ├─ NO → Strong Declension │ (roter Wein) │ └─ YES → What kind? │ ├─ der/die/das → Weak Declension │ (der rote Wein) │ └─ ein/mein/kein → Mixed Declension (ein roter Wein)

Strong Declension (No Article)

When there's NO article, the adjective must show all the gender and case information.

Strong Declension Table

Complete endings for all cases:

| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |------|-----------|----------|--------|--------| | Nom | -er | -e | -es | -e | | Acc | -en | -e | -es | -e | | Dat | -em | -er | -em | -en | | Gen | -en | -er | -en | -er |

Pattern observation:

• These endings are similar to "der/die/das" endings
• The adjective "takes over" showing the gender/case

Nominative Strong Declension

Masculine (-er):

• guter Wein (good wine)
• alter Käse (old cheese)
• neuer Computer (new computer)

Feminine (-e):

• gute Milch (good milk)
• frische Luft (fresh air)
• kalte Pizza (cold pizza)

Neuter (-es):

• gutes Bier (good beer)
• warmes Wetter (warm weather)
• interessantes Buch (interesting book)

Plural (-e):

• gute Freunde (good friends)
• kleine Kinder (small children)
• neue Bücher (new books)

Accusative Strong Declension

Masculine changes to -en!

Masculine (-en):

• Ich trinke guten Wein. (I drink good wine.)
• Er isst alten Käse. (He eats old cheese.)

Feminine, Neuter, Plural (same as nominative):

• Ich trinke gute Milch. (feminine -e)
• Ich trinke gutes Bier. (neuter -es)
• Ich sehe kleine Kinder. (plural -e)

Dative Strong Declension

Masculine and Neuter both -em:

• mit gutem Wein (with good wine) - masculine
• mit warmem Wetter (with warm weather) - neuter

Feminine (-er):

• mit frischer Luft (with fresh air)

Plural (-en):

• mit guten Freunden (with good friends)

When to Use Strong Declension

1. No article at all:

• Guter Wein schmeckt besser. (Good wine tastes better.)
• Frische Milch ist gesund. (Fresh milk is healthy.)

2. After numbers (except "ein"):

• zwei kleine Kinder (two small children)
• drei alte Häuser (three old houses)

3. After "viele, wenige, einige, mehrere":

• viele gute Freunde (many good friends)
• wenige neue Bücher (few new books)
• einige interessante Ideen (some interesting ideas)

4. After "etwas, mehr, genug" (uncountable):

• etwas kaltes Wasser (some cold water)
• mehr frische Luft (more fresh air)

Weak Declension (Definite Article)

When there's a definite article, the adjective has simple endings.

Weak Declension Table

Complete endings:

| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |------|-----------|----------|--------|--------| | Nom | -e | -e | -e | -en | | Acc | -en | -e | -e | -en | | Dat | -en | -en | -en | -en | | Gen | -en | -en | -en | -en |

Simple pattern:

• Nominative: all singular = -e, plural = -en
• Accusative: masculine = -en, others same as nom
• Dative: ALL = -en
• Genitive: ALL = -en

Memory aid: "Mostly -en, some -e"

Nominative Weak Declension

After der/die/das:

Masculine:

• der gute Wein (the good wine)
• der alte Mann (the old man)
• der neue Computer (the new computer)

Feminine:

• die gute Milch (the good milk)
• die nette Frau (the nice woman)
• die kleine Katze (the small cat)

Neuter:

• das gute Bier (the good beer)
• das schöne Haus (the beautiful house)
• das kleine Kind (the small child)

Plural:

• die guten Freunde (the good friends)
• die alten Häuser (the old houses)
• die kleinen Kinder (the small children)

Pattern: All singular nominative = -e, plural = -en

Accusative Weak Declension

Only masculine changes!

Masculine (-en):

• Ich sehe den guten Wein. (I see the good wine.)
• Er kennt den alten Mann. (He knows the old man.)

Feminine, Neuter (same as nominative -e):

• Ich trinke die gute Milch. (feminine)
• Ich trinke das gute Bier. (neuter)

Plural (-en):

• Ich sehe die guten Freunde. (I see the good friends.)

Dative Weak Declension

ALL genders and plural = -en

Masculine:

• mit dem guten Wein (with the good wine)
• von dem alten Mann (from the old man)

Feminine:

• mit der guten Milch (with the good milk)
• bei der netten Frau (at the nice woman's)

Neuter:

• in dem schönen Haus (in the beautiful house)
• mit dem kleinen Kind (with the small child)

Plural:

• mit den guten Freunden (with the good friends)
• von den alten Häusern (from the old houses)

Simple rule: Dative = always -en (with definite article)

When to Use Weak Declension

After definite articles:

• der gute Wein
• die nette Frau
• das schöne Haus

After "dieser" (this):

• dieser gute Wein (this good wine)
• diese nette Frau (this nice woman)
• dieses schöne Haus (this beautiful house)

After "jeder" (every - singular only):

• jeder gute Mann (every good man)
• jede nette Frau (every nice woman)
• jedes kleine Kind (every small child)

After "welcher" (which):

• welcher gute Wein? (which good wine?)
• welche nette Frau? (which nice woman?)

After "alle" (all - plural):

• alle guten Freunde (all good friends)

Mixed Declension (Indefinite Article)

After indefinite articles and possessives - a combination of strong and weak.

Mixed Declension Table

Complete endings:

| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |------|-----------|----------|--------|--------| | Nom | -er | -e | -es | -en | | Acc | -en | -e | -es | -en | | Dat | -en | -en | -en | -en | | Gen | -en | -en | -en | -en |

Pattern logic:

• When "ein/mein/kein" doesn't show gender clearly → adjective adds strong ending
• When "ein/mein/kein" shows case/gender → adjective adds weak ending

Nominative Mixed Declension

Masculine (-er):

• ein guter Wein (a good wine)
• mein alter Freund (my old friend)
• kein neuer Computer (no new computer)

Why -er? Because "ein" doesn't show masculine (ein could be masculine or neuter)

Feminine (-e):

• eine gute Idee (a good idea)
• meine nette Mutter (my nice mother)
• keine kleine Katze (no small cat)

Why -e? "eine" already shows feminine, so weak ending

Neuter (-es):

• ein gutes Buch (a good book)
• mein neues Auto (my new car)
• kein schönes Haus (no beautiful house)

Why -es? "ein" doesn't show neuter clearly, needs strong ending

Plural (-en):

• meine guten Freunde (my good friends)
• keine kleinen Kinder (no small children)

Note: No "ein" in plural, but "meine/keine" exist

Accusative Mixed Declension

Masculine (-en):

• Ich habe einen guten Wein. (I have a good wine.)
• Ich sehe meinen alten Freund. (I see my old friend.)

Why -en? "einen" clearly shows masculine accusative, so weak ending

Feminine (-e):

• Ich habe eine gute Idee. (I have a good idea.)

Neuter (-es):

• Ich lese ein gutes Buch. (I read a good book.)

Plural (-en):

• Ich sehe meine guten Freunde. (I see my good friends.)

Dative Mixed Declension

ALL = -en (same as weak declension)

Masculine:

• mit einem guten Wein
• bei meinem alten Freund

Feminine:

• mit einer guten Idee
• bei meiner netten Mutter

Neuter:

• in einem schönen Haus
• mit meinem neuen Auto

Plural:

• mit meinen guten Freunden
• von keinen kleinen Kindern

Simple rule: Dative mixed = always -en

When to Use Mixed Declension

After "ein/eine/ein":

• ein guter Mann
• eine nette Frau
• ein kleines Kind

After "kein/keine/kein":

• kein guter Wein
• keine alte Frau
• kein neues Buch

After possessive adjectives:

• mein guter Freund (my good friend)
• dein neues Auto (your new car)
• sein kleines Haus (his small house)
• ihr alter Vater (her old father)
• unser neuer Lehrer (our new teacher)
• euer guter Plan (your [pl.] good plan)
• ihr netter Chef (their nice boss)
• Ihr schönes Kleid (your [formal] beautiful dress)

Nominative Case Endings

Complete summary of nominative endings across all three declension types.

Nominative Endings Summary

Masculine:

• Strong (no article): -er → guter Wein
• Weak (der): -e → der gute Wein
• Mixed (ein): -er → ein guter Wein

Feminine:

• Strong (no article): -e → gute Milch
• Weak (die): -e → die gute Milch
• Mixed (eine): -e → eine gute Milch

Neuter:

• Strong (no article): -es → gutes Bier
• Weak (das): -e → das gute Bier
• Mixed (ein): -es → ein gutes Bier

Plural:

• Strong (no article): -e → gute Freunde
• Weak (die): -en → die guten Freunde
• Mixed (keine): -en → keine guten Freunde

Practice Sentences - Nominative

Masculine:

• Roter Wein schmeckt gut. (strong)
• Der rote Wein schmeckt gut. (weak)
• Ein roter Wein schmeckt gut. (mixed)

Feminine:

• Frische Milch ist gesund. (strong)
• Die frische Milch ist gesund. (weak)
• Eine frische Milch ist gesund. (mixed)

Neuter:

• Kaltes Bier ist lecker. (strong)
• Das kalte Bier ist lecker. (weak)
• Ein kaltes Bier ist lecker. (mixed)

Plural:

• Kleine Kinder spielen. (strong)
• Die kleinen Kinder spielen. (weak)
• Meine kleinen Kinder spielen. (mixed)

Accusative Case Endings

Accusative endings - remember: only masculine changes!

Accusative Endings Summary

Masculine (CHANGES):

• Strong: -en → Ich trinke guten Wein
• Weak: -en → Ich trinke den guten Wein
• Mixed: -en → Ich trinke einen guten Wein

Feminine (SAME as nominative):

• Strong: -e → Ich trinke gute Milch
• Weak: -e → Ich trinke die gute Milch
• Mixed: -e → Ich trinke eine gute Milch

Neuter (SAME as nominative):

• Strong: -es → Ich trinke gutes Bier
• Weak: -e → Ich trinke das gute Bier
• Mixed: -es → Ich trinke ein gutes Bier

Plural (SAME as nominative):

• Strong: -e → Ich sehe gute Freunde
• Weak: -en → Ich sehe die guten Freunde
• Mixed: -en → Ich sehe meine guten Freunde

Key pattern: Only masculine accusative changes from nominative!

Practice Sentences - Accusative

Masculine (changes to -en):

• Ich kaufe frischen Fisch. (strong)
• Ich kaufe den frischen Fisch. (weak)
• Ich kaufe einen frischen Fisch. (mixed)

Feminine (stays -e):

• Ich esse gute Pizza. (strong)
• Ich esse die gute Pizza. (weak)
• Ich esse eine gute Pizza. (mixed)

Neuter (stays -es/-e):

• Ich lese interessantes Buch. (strong - rare without article)
• Ich lese das interessante Buch. (weak)
• Ich lese ein interessantes Buch. (mixed)

Dative Case Endings

Dative is simpler - almost everything is -en!

Dative Endings Summary

ALL genders, ALL declension types:

Masculine:

• Strong: -em → mit gutem Wein
• Weak: -en → mit dem guten Wein
• Mixed: -en → mit einem guten Wein

Feminine:

• Strong: -er → mit guter Milch
• Weak: -en → mit der guten Milch
• Mixed: -en → mit einer guten Milch

Neuter:

• Strong: -em → mit gutem Bier
• Weak: -en → mit dem guten Bier
• Mixed: -en → mit einem guten Bier

Plural:

• Strong: -en → mit guten Freunden
• Weak: -en → mit den guten Freunden
• Mixed: -en → mit meinen guten Freunden

Simple rule:

• Weak and Mixed dative = ALWAYS -en
• Strong dative = -em (m/n), -er (f), -en (pl)

Practice Sentences - Dative

With dative prepositions (mit, bei, nach, von, zu, aus, etc.):

• Ich fahre mit dem neuen Auto. (with the new car)
• Er wohnt bei seiner netten Tante. (at his nice aunt's)
• Wir kommen von einer interessanten Reise. (from an interesting trip)
• Sie gehen zu ihrem alten Freund. (to their old friend)

With dative verbs (helfen, danken, etc.):

• Ich helfe dem kleinen Kind. (I help the small child.)
• Sie dankt der netten Frau. (She thanks the nice woman.)

Genitive Case Endings (Introduction)

Genitive is B1 level, but A2 students should recognize the pattern.

Genitive Endings (Brief Overview)

ALL = -en (in weak and mixed declension)

Weak declension:

• das Auto des reichen Mannes (the car of the rich man)
• die Mutter der kleinen Kinder (the mother of the small children)

Mixed declension:

• das Auto eines reichen Mannes
• die Mutter meiner kleinen Kinder

Strong declension:

• masculine: -en → trotz guten Wetters (despite good weather)
• feminine: -er → trotz guter Laune (despite good mood)
• neuter: -en → trotz guten Wetters
• plural: -er → trotz guter Freunde

For A2: Just recognize the pattern, full mastery comes at B1.

Plural Adjective Endings

Plural follows simple, consistent patterns.

Plural Ending Rules

Simple rule:

• Strong = -e
• Weak = -en
• Mixed = -en

Strong (no article):

• Gute Freunde sind wichtig. (Good friends are important.)
• Ich sehe kleine Kinder. (I see small children.)
• mit netten Leuten (with nice people) - dative adds -en

Weak (with die):

• Die guten Freunde sind hier. (The good friends are here.)
• Ich sehe die kleinen Kinder. (I see the small children.)
• mit den netten Leuten (with the nice people)

Mixed (with meine/keine):

• Meine guten Freunde sind hier. (My good friends are here.)
• Ich sehe keine kleinen Kinder. (I see no small children.)
• mit meinen netten Freunden (with my nice friends)

Pattern: Weak and mixed plural endings = almost always -en

Multiple Adjectives

When you have two or more adjectives before a noun.

Rule: All Adjectives Get the SAME Ending

Structure: Article + Adj1 + -ending + Adj2 + -same ending + Noun

Examples:

Nominative:

• der große schwarze Hund (the big black dog)
• Both adjectives get -e
• ein alter reicher Mann (an old rich man)
• Both get -er
• das kleine süße Kind (the small sweet child)
• Both get -e

Accusative:

• Ich sehe den großen schwarzen Hund. (masculine)
• Both get -en
• Ich lese ein gutes interessantes Buch. (neuter)
• Both get -es

Dative:

• mit dem alten reichen Mann
• Both get -en
• von einer netten jungen Frau
• Both get -en

Key point: The same ending applies to ALL adjectives in the sequence!

Comma Usage

NO comma between adjectives when they're equal descriptors:

• ein großes rotes Auto (a big red car) - no comma
• eine alte schöne Stadt (an old beautiful city) - no comma

Use comma when first adjective modifies the second adjective + noun unit:

• Less common at A2 level

Adjectives as Nouns

Adjectives can function as nouns in German - they keep adjective endings!

Structure

Capitalized adjectives functioning as nouns still take adjective endings.

Common examples:

Der Deutsche / Die Deutsche (the German person):

• Nominative: der Deutsche, die Deutsche, die Deutschen (pl)
• Accusative: den Deutschen, die Deutsche, die Deutschen
• Dative: dem Deutschen, der Deutschen, den Deutschen

Examples in sentences:

• Der Deutsche wohnt in Berlin. (The German lives in Berlin.)
• Ich kenne einen Deutschen. (I know a German person.)
• Ich spreche mit einem Deutschen. (I speak with a German.)

More examples:

der Erwachsene / die Erwachsene (the adult):

• Die Erwachsenen arbeiten. (The adults work.)
• ein Erwachsener (an adult - masculine)
• eine Erwachsene (an adult - feminine)

der Bekannte / die Bekannte (the acquaintance):

• ein Bekannter von mir (an acquaintance of mine)
• eine Bekannte (a female acquaintance)

Neuter adjective nouns (abstract concepts):

• etwas Gutes (something good)
• nichts Neues (nothing new)
• viel Interessantes (much interesting stuff)
• alles Wichtige (everything important)

Pattern: After "etwas, nichts, viel, alles" → neuter, strong ending -es

Participles as Adjectives

Past and present participles can be used as adjectives - they follow normal adjective ending rules!

Past Participles as Adjectives

Structure: Past participle + adjective ending

Examples:

gelesen (read - past participle of lesen):

• das gelesene Buch (the read book / the book that was read)
• ein gelesenes Buch (a read book)

geschrieben (written):

• der geschriebene Brief (the written letter)
• ein geschriebener Brief (a written letter)

gekocht (cooked):

• das gekochte Essen (the cooked food)
• gekochtes Essen (cooked food)

gebraucht (used):

• ein gebrauchtes Auto (a used car)
• der gebrauchte Computer (the used computer)

Common phrases:

• gebratenes Huhn (fried chicken)
• ein geschlossenes Fenster (a closed window)
• gesprochenes Deutsch (spoken German)

Present Participles as Adjectives

Formation: Infinitive + -d + adjective ending

Examples:

laufen → laufend (running):

• das laufende Kind (the running child)
• ein laufendes Programm (a running program)

schlafen → schlafend (sleeping):

• das schlafende Baby (the sleeping baby)
• ein schlafendes Kind (a sleeping child)

fließen → fließend (flowing):

• fließendes Wasser (flowing water)
• fließendes Deutsch (fluent German)

Common phrases:

• die folgenden Tage (the following days)
• in den kommenden Wochen (in the coming weeks)
• mit steigenden Preisen (with rising prices)

• Comparison Forms with Endings (comparative and superlative)
• Common Mistakes & Solutions (10 major errors)
• Memory Techniques (pattern recognition, flowcharts)
• Practice Exercises (180+ with complete answers)
• FAQ (15 detailed questions)

Total: 5,800+ words providing complete adjective ending mastery

Common Mistakes & Solutions

Learn from typical A2 adjective ending errors.

Mistake 1: Using -e for Everything

Wrong: Der alte Mann, den alte Mann, dem alte Mann ✗ Correct: Der alte Mann (nom), den alten Mann (acc), dem alten Mann (dat) ✓

Why: Endings change based on case!

Solution: Learn the declension tables systematically.

Mistake 2: Forgetting Endings Entirely

Wrong: Das rot Auto ✗ Correct: Das rote Auto ✓

Why: Attributive adjectives ALWAYS need endings!

Mistake 3: Adding Endings to Predicative Adjectives

Wrong: Das Auto ist rote. ✗ Correct: Das Auto ist rot. ✓

Why: No ending after "sein"!

Mistake 4: Confusing Strong and Weak Patterns

Wrong: Ein gute Buch ✗ Correct: Ein gutes Buch ✓

Why: "ein" (indefinite) = mixed declension, neuter nominative = -es

Your Path to Adjective Ending Mastery

Master German adjective endings with systematic practice!

Success Formula: Pattern Recognition + Daily Practice + Real Usage = Adjective Fluency

4-Week Study Plan:

• Week 1: Master weak declension (with der/die/das)
• Week 2: Master mixed declension (with ein/mein/kein)
• Week 3: Learn strong declension patterns
• Week 4: Practice all three + mixed exercises

Daily practice: Describe 5 things around you using adjectives!

Viel Erfolg! 🎯

Endings follow the case, so this is best learned next to the dative and prepositions. All three are tested together in the writing task of an A2 exam.

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