In German, adjectives change their endings to agree with the gender (masculine, feminine, neuter), number (singular, plural), and case (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive) of the noun they modify. The specific endings also depend on the type of article or determiner preceding the noun: definite articles (e.g., der, die, das), indefinite articles (e.g., ein, eine), or no article (known as the “strong” ending).
German adjective endings table
| Case | Spelling | Masculine Example | Masculine Ending | Feminine Example | Feminine Ending | Plural Example | Plural Ending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | St | der kleine Hund | -e | die kleine Katze | -e | die kleinen Hunde | -en |
| Acc | St | den kleinen Hund | -en | die kleine Katze | -e | die kleinen Hunde | -en |
| Dat | St | dem kleinen Hund | -en | der kleinen Katze | -en | den kleinen Hunden | -en |
| Gen | St | des kleinen Hundes | -en | der kleinen Katze | -en | der kleinen Hunde | -en |
When do German adjectives take strong endings?
When there is no article before the noun.
Strong endings are used when there is no article before the noun. The adjective carries the full ending to show gender, case, and number.
Types of adjective endings
- Strong endings (no article)
- Adjective carries the full ending to show gender/case/number.
- Masculine singular nominative: -er
- Feminine singular nominative: -e
- Neuter singular nominative: -es
- Plural nominative: -e
- Examples:
- kleiner Hund (small dog)
- kleine Katze (small cat)
- kleines Kind (small child)
- Mixed endings (indefinite article or possessive)
- Article provides some information (gender/number), adjective fills the rest.
- Masculine singular nominative: -er (article ein lacks ending)
- Feminine singular nominative: -e
- Neuter singular nominative: -es
- Plural: always -en
- Examples:
- ein kleiner Hund
- eine kleine Katze
- ein kleines Kind
- meine kleinen Hunde
- Weak endings (definite article or der-words)
- Article fully indicates gender/case/number; adjective always takes -en (except nominative singular forms, which take -e)
- Nominative singular endings can be -e (e.g., der kleine Hund), others are -en
- Examples:
- der kleine Hund (Nom. Masc.)
- den kleinen Hund (Acc. Masc.)
- dem kleinen Hund (Dat. Masc.)
- des kleinen Hundes (Gen. Masc.)
Summary
Below is a summary table focusing on the adjective endings for each case, gender, and article type. Here, st = strong (no article), mix = mixed (indefinite article ein- or possessives), wk = weak (definite article der/die/das or der-words).
| Case & Gender | Strong (no article) | Mixed (ein-/possessive) | Weak (definite article) | Example (Weak) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. Masc. | -er | -er | -e | der kleine Hund |
| Nom. Fem. | -e | -e | -e | die kleine Katze |
| Nom. Neut. | -es | -es | -e | das kleine Kind |
| Nom. Pl. | -e | -en | -en | die kleinen Hunde |
| Acc. Masc. | -en | -en | -en | den kleinen Hund |
| Acc. Fem. | -e | -e | -e | die kleine Katze |
| Acc. Neut. | -es | -es | -e | das kleine Kind |
| Acc. Pl. | -e | -en | -en | die kleinen Hunde |
| Dat. Masc. | -em | -en | -en | dem kleinen Hund |
| Dat. Fem. | -er | -en | -en | der kleinen Katze |
| Dat. Neut. | -em | -en | -en | dem kleinen Kind |
| Dat. Pl. | -en | -en | -en | den kleinen Hunden |
| Gen. Masc. | -es | -en | -en | des kleinen Hundes |
| Gen. Fem. | -er | -en | -en | der kleinen Katze |
| Gen. Neut. | -es | -en | -en | des kleinen Kindes |
| Gen. Pl. | -er | -en | -en | der kleinen Hunde |
- Note: In genitive singular masculine and neuter, noun takes -es or -s ending.
- In plural nouns (except dative), no spelling change in noun.
Examples with all article types
| Case | Definite Article | Indefinite Article | No Article | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. Masc. | der kleine Hund | ein kleiner Hund | kleiner Hund | small dog |
| Nom. Fem. | die kleine Katze | eine kleine Katze | kleine Katze | small cat |
| Nom. Neut. | das kleine Kind | ein kleines Kind | kleines Kind | small child |
| Nom. Pl. | die kleinen Hunde | -- meine kleinen Hunde | kleine Hunde | small dogs |
| Acc. Masc. | den kleinen Hund | einen kleinen Hund | kleinen Hund | small dog |
| Acc. Fem. | die kleine Katze | eine kleine Katze | kleine Katze | small cat |
| Acc. Neut. | das kleine Kind | ein kleines Kind | kleines Kind | small child |
| Acc. Pl. | die kleinen Hunde | -- meine kleinen Hunde | kleine Hunde | small dogs |
- Note: Indefinite article plural does not exist; use possessives (e.g., meine kleine Hunde) or no article.
Select the correct forms for nominative feminine singular with all article types.
die kleine Katze, eine kleine Katze, kleine Katze
For nominative feminine singular: Weak = die kleine Katze, Mixed = eine kleine Katze, Strong = kleine Katze.
Key points to remember
- Adjective endings depend on gender, number, case, AND article type.
- Definite article forms are regular; adjective endings mostly -e (Nom. Sg.) or -en (others).
- Indefinite article and possessive forms use mixed endings: adjective endings adjust depending on what's missing.
- No article means adjective takes strong endings (full endings provide all grammatical info).
- Learn the patterns for each case and gender; the article type rules guide which adjective ending to use.
Flashcards (1 of 8)
- Case: Nom. Masc.
- Definite Article: der kleine Hund
- Indefinite Article: ein kleiner Hund
- No Article: kleiner Hund
- English: small dog
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
