A2Word classes

Adjective endings

Why “einen roten Mantel” but “eine freundliche Person”?

Take a look

Der große Mann liest.

The tall man is reading.

Take a look

Der große Mann liest.The tall man is reading.
Ich sehe den kleinen Hund.I see the small dog.
Ein kaltes Bier, bitte.A cold beer, please.
Sie trägt eine rote Jacke.She is wearing a red jacket.

The rule

An adjective before a noun takes an ending in German. The ending depends on the article, the noun’s gender and its role in the sentence. Compare einen roten Mantel and eine freundliche Person from the course. After der in the basic case you often hear -e; after ein with a masculine noun, you hear -er. The table only shows nominative and accusative so you can practise these first patterns safely.

Remember: An adjective before a noun needs a suitable ending.

Goes with lesson 10, 18, 24 of the course.

What differs for you

English adjectives normally keep the same form before a noun, so “red” does not change with the article. German adjectives before nouns do change: “einen roten Mantel” but “eine freundliche Person”. The ending depends on the German article, gender and role in the sentence. Read the whole noun group before choosing the adjective’s last letters.

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The forms

Adjective endings: nominative and accusative

Fall	Genus	bestimmt	unbestimmt
Nominativ	m	der gute Tag	ein guter Tag
Nominativ	f	die gute Frau	eine gute Frau
Nominativ	n	das gute Haus	ein gutes Haus
Akkusativ	m	den guten Tag	einen guten Tag
Akkusativ	f	die gute Frau	eine gute Frau
Akkusativ	n	das gute Haus	ein gutes Haus

Common mistakes

*ein gute Tagein guter Tag.
*einen rote Manteleinen roten Mantel.

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Quick check

Insert the correct adjective ending.Der klein___ Junge spielt.
Choose the correct form.Ich trinke ein kalt___ Bier.
Insert the correct adjective ending.Sie kauft den rot___ Pullover.
Correct the mistake.Das ist eine schönes Blume.
Choose the correct form.Die neu___ Bücher sind interessant.
Insert the correct adjective ending.Er ist ein gut___ Lehrer.

The answers appear after “Check”.

The same exercises come back in the course — there Langula remembers what you know and asks again at the right moment. Learn German free →

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Word classes

A1Der, die, das and ein, eineWhy do different words appear before nouns?A1Nouns, verbs and adjectivesWhat do “Suppe”, “spiele” and “groß” tell you?A1Plural nounsWhat changes in “Brüder” and “Kinder”?A1Personal pronounsPersonal pronouns replace nouns and indicate the person.A2Groß, größer, am größtenWhat does “am liebsten” mean compared with “gern”?A2Mein, dein, sein: whose is it?Whose passport does “Ihren Reisepass” refer to?

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