Why Adjective Endings Confuse People
German adjectives change their ending depending on three things: the case, the gender, and — the part everyone forgets — what kind of article sits in front of them. That last factor is what creates the three separate tables.
The underlying logic is simple: German wants the case and gender to be visible. If the article already shows it, the adjective does very little. If the article hides it, the adjective must show it instead.
The signal rule
The article and the adjective share one job: making the case and gender clear. When the article does the work, the adjective takes a weak ending. When the article is silent, the adjective takes over and looks like the definite article itself.
Weak Declension: after der, die, das
After a definite article (der, die, das) or a word that behaves like one (dieser, jener, jeder, alle, beide), the adjective takes only two endings: -e or -en.
When to use -e
Only five slots take -e: nominative singular (all three genders) and accusative singular feminine and neuter. Everything else in this table takes -en. That is the whole rule.
Der gute Wein ist teuer.
The good wine is expensive. [Nominative masculine → -e]
Ich trinke den guten Wein.
I am drinking the good wine. [Accusative masculine → -en]
Mixed Declension: after ein, eine, kein, mein
After ein, eine, kein or a possessive (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer), the article sometimes shows the gender and sometimes does not. The adjective fills the gap.
Compare the two nominatives: der gute Wein but ein guter Wein. Because ein does not show masculine gender, the adjective has to — so it takes -er, exactly like der.
Ein guter Freund hilft immer.
A good friend always helps. [ein + -er, mirroring der]
Das ist eine gute Idee.
That is a good idea. [eine already shows feminine → -e]
Ich habe ein kleines Problem.
I have a small problem. [ein + -es, mirroring das]
Strong Declension: no article at all
With no article, the adjective carries the full case and gender marker — which is why strong endings look almost exactly like der, die, das.
Strong endings appear more often than you think
Ich brauche frisches Brot und kalte Milch.
I need fresh bread and cold milk. [No article → strong endings]
A Three-Question Routine
Rather than memorising four tables, run these three questions every time you write an adjective before a noun.
Adjectives after sein stay bare
Predicate adjectives do not decline: Der Wein ist gut. Die Suppe ist gut. Endings only appear before a noun — and after a handful of verbs like bleiben or werden.Practice Sentences
Fill in the ending, then check the reasoning against the charts.
- Ich habe ein neu__ Handy gekauft. (mixed, neuter, accusative)
- Der klein__ Junge spielt im Garten. (weak, masculine, nominative)
- Wir wohnen in einer alt__ Wohnung. (mixed, feminine, dative)
- Sie trinkt gern kalt__ Wasser. (strong, neuter, accusative)
- Die neu__ Nachbarn sind sehr freundlich. (weak, plural, nominative)
- Mit dem alt__ Auto fahre ich nicht. (weak, neuter, dative)
1. neues · 2. kleine · 3. alten · 4. kaltes · 5. neuen · 6. alten
Check each against the three-question routine rather than the list. [Answers]
Find your pattern of errors
If you get these wrong, note whether the errors cluster in dative or in strong declension — that is where to focus. The Lingaso writing analyser will surface the same pattern in your own paragraphs.Common Mistakes
What to Learn First
Adjective endings depend on gender and case, so they are the last layer, not the first. Work through German noun gender and German cases before drilling these charts, or you will be applying the wrong row.
FAQ
How many adjective ending tables do I need?
Three: weak after der/die/das, mixed after ein/eine/kein/possessives, and strong with no article. Each has four cases across three genders plus plural, but the weak table only uses -e and -en, which makes it much smaller than it looks.
Why is it ein guter Wein but der gute Wein?
Because ein does not reveal masculine gender, so the adjective has to carry the -er marker itself. After der, the article already shows gender and case, so the adjective relaxes to -e.
Do adjectives after sein take endings?
No. Predicate adjectives are invariable: Der Wein ist gut, Die Suppe ist gut, Das Bier ist gut. Endings appear only when the adjective stands before a noun.
What about etwas Gutes and nichts Neues?
After etwas, nichts, viel and wenig the adjective is capitalised and takes a strong ending, because there is no article to carry the marker. These behave like strong declension nouns.