Complete adjective declension (all cases with der-words and ein-words)

What is adjective declension and when do I need it?

Adjective declension in German means changing the adjective ending to match the noun phrase’s case (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive), gender (masculine, feminine, neuter), and number (singular/plural). You need these endings when the adjective appears before a noun (attributive position): e.g., das rote Auto (the red car). English adjectives do not change, but German adjectives do — they carry grammatical information.

Attributive vs. predicative adjectives

Attributive: adjective before the noun — it must be declined.
- das rote Auto (the red car)

Predicative: adjective after a verb like sein/werden/bleiben — no ending.
- Das Auto ist rot. (The car is red.)

Which declension patterns are there? (der-words, ein-words, and no article)

There are three common patterns for attributive adjectives:
- Strong declension (no article or a word that does not show case/gender clearly) — adjective carries the full ending.
- Weak declension (after a definite article or a "der-word" such as der/die/das, dieser, jeder, jener, welcher, derselbe) — adjective takes weak endings (mostly -e or -en).
- Mixed declension (after an "ein-word", like ein/kein or possessives mein/dein/sein etc.) — adjective takes a mix of strong and weak endings.

Which words are "der-words" and "ein-words"?

Der-words: der, die, das, dieser, jener, jeder, welcher, solcher, derselbe, alle (and a few others that decline like der). Examples: der, dieser, jeder.

Ein-words: ein, kein and the possessive determiners: mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, Ihr. These decline like ein and therefore trigger the mixed pattern.

Complete tables: adjective endings for all cases and genders

Below are the standard endings for attributive adjectives. Each table shows endings only (add these endings to the adjective stem).

How to choose the correct pattern: a simple step-by-step method

1) Find the case (who is doing what?). Decide nominative/accusative/dative/genitive.
2) Find the article/determiner:
- If there is a definite article or a der-word (der/die/das/dieser/jeder...), use the weak endings.
- If there is an ein-word (ein/kein or a possessive like mein/dein), use the mixed endings.
- If there is no article/determiner (e.g., "guter Wein" or after numbers like "zwei gute Bücher"), use the strong endings.
3) Attach the correct ending from the table above to the adjective stem.

Example (step-by-step):
- English: "my new car" -> German?
1. Determiner: "my" = mein (an ein-word) => mixed declension.
2. Gender/number: car = Auto (neuter singular).
3. Case: assume nominative (subject).
4. Mixed, nominative, neuter: adjective ending = -es. Result: mein neues Auto.
("mein neues Auto ist rot." = "my new car is red.")

Comprehensive examples: der-words (definite) — every case and gender

Nominative
- Masculine: Der gute Mann liest die Zeitung. (The good man reads the newspaper.)
- Feminine: Die gute Frau kocht das Abendessen. (The good woman cooks dinner.)
- Neuter: Das gute Kind spielt im Garten. (The good child plays in the garden.)
- Plural: Die guten Freunde treffen sich heute. (The good friends meet today.)

Accusative
- Masculine: Ich sehe den guten Mann. (I see the good man.)
- Feminine: Er kennt die gute Frau. (He knows the good woman.)
- Neuter: Sie kauft das gute Buch. (She buys the good book.)
- Plural: Wir besuchen die guten Nachbarn. (We visit the good neighbors.)

Dative
- Masculine: Ich gebe dem guten Mann ein Geschenk. (I give the good man a present.)
- Feminine: Sie hilft der guten Frau. (She helps the good woman.)
- Neuter: Er vertraut dem guten Kind. (He trusts the good child.)
- Plural: Ich gebe den guten Kindern Süßigkeiten. (I give the good children sweets.)

Genitive
- Masculine: Das Auto des guten Mannes ist neu. (The good man's car is new.)
- Feminine: Die Tasche der guten Frau liegt auf dem Tisch. (The good woman's bag is on the table.)
- Neuter: Das Spielzeug des guten Kindes ist kaputt. (The good child's toy is broken.)
- Plural: Die Meinung der guten Freunde zählt. (The opinion of the good friends matters.)

Comprehensive examples: ein-words (ein/kein/possessives) — every case and gender

Nominative
- Masculine: Ein guter Mann hilft manchmal. (A good man sometimes helps.)
- Feminine: Eine gute Frau arbeitet im Krankenhaus. (A good woman works at the hospital.)
- Neuter: Ein gutes Kind schläft früh. (A good child sleeps early.)
- Plural (possessive): Meine guten Freunde sind hier. (My good friends are here.)

Accusative
- Masculine: Ich sehe einen guten Mann. (I see a good man.)
- Feminine: Er besucht eine gute Freundin. (He visits a good female friend.)
- Neuter: Wir haben ein gutes Ergebnis. (We have a good result.)
- Plural: Sie kennt meine guten Freunde. (She knows my good friends.)

Dative
- Masculine: Ich gebe einem guten Mann das Buch. (I give a good man the book.)
- Feminine: Sie hilft einer guten Frau. (She helps a good woman.)
- Neuter: Wir danken einem guten Freund. (We thank a good friend.)
- Plural: Ich schenke meinen guten Freunden Karten. (I give my good friends tickets.)

Genitive
- Masculine: Das Auto eines guten Mannes ist teuer. (A good man's car is expensive.)
- Feminine: Die Hilfe einer guten Frau war wichtig. (The help of a good woman was important.)
- Neuter: Das Spielzeug eines guten Kindes ist neu. (A good child's toy is new.)
- Plural: Die Bücher meiner guten Freunde sind interessant. (The books of my good friends are interesting.)

Common mistakes and tips to avoid them

- Confusing predicative and attributive: "Das Buch ist gut." (correct) — not "Das Buch ist gute." Attributive: "das gute Buch."
- Forgetting that definite articles (der/die/das) make the adjective weak: say "der gute Mann" (not *der guter Mann).
- Using the wrong ending in nominative/accusative singular (masculine): accusative singular after der -> den guten Mann (not *den gute Mann), after ein -> einen guten Mann.
- Forgetting dative plural: use -n on the noun and adjective with "den": "den guten Kindern" (not *die guten Kinder).
- Mixing patterns: if you have a possessive (mein/dein), treat it like an ein-word (mixed), e.g., "mein guter Freund" (nom. masc) not *mein guter Freund? (Correct: mein guter Freund — adjective ends -er.)
- Genitive can be tricky; when in doubt you can often use von + dative for clarity: "die Farbe von dem guten Kind" (less formal) instead of "die Farbe des guten Kindes."

Quick troubleshooting rules (cheat sheet)

- If the article clearly shows gender and case (der/die/das...), adjective uses weak endings (mostly -en) except nominative singular (usually -e).
- If the article does not fully show gender/case (ein/kein/possessive), use mixed endings (adjective will show gender in nominative singular).
- If there is no article or a number/quantifier, use strong endings (adjective must show gender/case).

Glossary (short and useful)

Attributive adjective — adjective before a noun that must be declined (e.g., ein interessantes Buch).

Predicative adjective — adjective after verbs like sein (no ending), e.g., Das Buch ist interessant.

Der-words — words that behave like the definite article (der/die/das, dieser, jeder...). After them adjectives use weak endings.

Ein-words — words that behave like the indefinite article (ein, kein, mein, dein, sein...), triggering mixed endings.

Strong / Weak / Mixed declension — three adjective paradigms:
- Strong: adjective supplies full information (no article).
- Weak: article supplies information (der-words) so adjective has weak endings.
- Mixed: article supplies some information but not fully (ein-words) so endings are mixed.

If you study the three small tables above and practice matching the article to the pattern, you can reliably form adjective endings. Use the example pairs to compare: "der gute Mann" (weak) vs. "ein guter Mann" (mixed) vs. "guter Mann" (strong, rarely used alone in speech) — and always remember: attributive needs an ending, predicative does not.