Descriptive Adjectives
Descriptive adjectives give color, shape, and character to nouns, making your speech and writing more vivid and precise. This guide covers how they work in German and how to use them effectively.
Adjective Endings
Adjective endings in German change based on whether the adjective is preceded by a definite article, an indefinite article, or no article at all. These endings signal the adjective's gender, case, and number.
After Definite Articles
After definite articles like der, die, and das, adjectives take predictable endings that align with the noun's gender, case, and number. The adjective usually gets a weak ending.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der große Hund | die große Katze | das große Haus | die großen Hunde |
| Accusative | den großen Hund | die große Katze | das große Haus | die großen Hunde |
| Dative | dem großen Hund | der großen Katze | dem großen Haus | den großen Hunden |
| Genitive | des großen Hundes | der großen Katze | des großen Hauses | der großen Hunde |
After Indefinite Articles
After indefinite articles like ein, eine, and kein, adjectives take strong or mixed endings to show gender, case, and number because the article does not fully mark the noun. The adjective often carries the grammatical information.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ein großer Hund | eine große Katze | ein großes Haus | keine großen Hunde |
| Accusative | einen großen Hund | eine große Katze | ein großes Haus | keine großen Hunde |
| Dative | einem großen Hund | einer großen Katze | einem großen Haus | keinen großen Hunden |
| Genitive | eines großen Hundes | einer großen Katze | eines großen Hauses | keiner großen Hunde |
No Article
When there is no article, adjectives take strong endings to fully show the noun's gender, case, and number. This typically happens with plural nouns used generically or with certain quantifiers.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | großer Hund | große Katze | großes Haus | große Hunde |
| Accusative | großen Hund | große Katze | großes Haus | große Hunde |
| Dative | großem Hund | großer Katze | großem Haus | großen Hunden |
| Genitive | großen Hundes | großer Katze | großen Hauses | großer Hunde |
Placement
Adjectives normally come immediately before the noun they describe. In German, multiple adjectives follow that order and each takes the appropriate ending. Adjectives can also appear after certain verbs when used predicatively.
Predicative vs Attributive
Attributive adjectives directly modify a noun and take endings; predicative adjectives come after verbs like sein and remain uninflected. This distinction affects whether you add an ending or not.
Common Adjectives
Knowing common descriptive adjectives helps you quickly describe people, places, and things. Below are some frequent adjectives for size, color, and character to practice using in sentences.
| German Word(s) | English Word(s) |
|---|---|
| groß | big, tall |
| klein | small |
| rot | red |
| blau | blue |
| schön | beautiful, nice |
| alt | old |
| jung | young |
| langsam | slow |
| schnell | fast |
| nett | nice, kind |
| German Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🌞 Das Bild ist sehr bunt. | The painting is very colorful. |
| 🌷 Die Farben sind lebhaft. | The colors are vivid. |
| 🖼️ Das große Bild hängt oben. | The large painting hangs above. |
| 🎨 Ich liebe die sanften Töne. | I love the soft tones. |
| 🌅 Der warme Farbverlauf wirkt beruhigend. | The warm color gradient feels calming. |
Summary
Descriptive adjectives enrich your German by adding detail and nuance. Pay attention to adjective endings based on articles and case, practice common adjectives, and remember the difference between attributive and predicative use.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025