6th February 2013
GCSE German: Adjective Endings
Whenever you use an adjective before a noun, it must agree with the number, gender and case of the noun. Sadly, the endings of the adjectives are also different between the definite, indefinite article. When using no article the endings change once more. Because of all of these minor changes, it is quite hard to learn the endings. Luckily, about half are actually identical.
Adjective endings with the definite article (der, die, das etc.)
These endings not only apply when using the definite article, but also when using the following prepositions:
dieser = this
jener = that
jehlicher = any
jeder = every
mancher = some
solcher = such
welcher = which
The table of endings for the definite article looks like this:
Adjective endings with the definite article (der, die, das etc.)
These endings not only apply when using the definite article, but also when using the following prepositions:
dieser = this
jener = that
jehlicher = any
jeder = every
mancher = some
solcher = such
welcher = which
The table of endings for the definite article looks like this:
The letters in bold are the endings of the adjectives. This table is especially helpful in the fact that it shows you what article to use depending on the case, gender and number of the noun. Also, all of the boxes shaded in grey have the same adjective endings (all of the dative and plural nouns + masculine accusative nouns). As you can see, this table does not show the endings when using the genitive case. Luckily, the endings for the genitive case are identical to the endings in the dative case.
Adjective endings with the indefinite article (ein, eine, ein etc.)
The endings of the indefinite article also apply when using the negative article (kein) and the following possessive adjectives:
mein = my
dein = your
sein = his
ihr = her/their
unser = our
euer = your
Ihr = your
Adjective endings with the indefinite article (ein, eine, ein etc.)
The endings of the indefinite article also apply when using the negative article (kein) and the following possessive adjectives:
mein = my
dein = your
sein = his
ihr = her/their
unser = our
euer = your
Ihr = your
As you can see, the boxes shaded in grey are all have identical endings again, and these endings are the same as those with the definite article. Once again, the lack of a column for the genitive case is a bit annoying. Luckily, the endings are still the same as the endings in the dative case.
Adjective endings with no preceding article
The endings in the following table also apply when used after:
etwas = some/somewhat
mehr = more
wenig = few
viel = much
viele = many
mehrer = several/many
all = all
Adjective endings with no preceding article
The endings in the following table also apply when used after:
etwas = some/somewhat
mehr = more
wenig = few
viel = much
viele = many
mehrer = several/many
all = all
This table of endings is probably the hardest to learn as there is no clear pattern compared with the other two tables. Sadly, when using no preceding article, the adjective endings in the genitive case are not the same as those in the dative case (as was the case with both definite and indefinite articles). The endings in the genitive case are as follows:
gen
masc en
fem er
neut en
plural er
These adjective endings are fundamental in German, so this should be one of the first things that you should learn. By learning this you can make your life much easier when trying to write a piece of German. Good luck!
gen
masc en
fem er
neut en
plural er
These adjective endings are fundamental in German, so this should be one of the first things that you should learn. By learning this you can make your life much easier when trying to write a piece of German. Good luck!
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