Reference · module 24
Endings, all of them
Everything this module explains, on one page.
After ein and mein
Get the ending right when the article does not show the gender.
- After der, die, das the adjective takes -e, because the article has already announced the gender. ein does not announce it, so the adjective has to.
- ein guter Mann, eine gute Frau, ein gutes Kind. The -r and the -s are the endings der and das would have carried.
- mein, dein, kein and the rest of the family behave exactly like ein. Learn one table and you have learned six words.
The mistake you are about to make
ein gut Mann
ein guter Mann
English adjectives carry nothing at all, so the bare form keeps coming back. After ein the adjective has to announce the gender the article did not: guter, gute, gutes.
With no article at all
Describe something plural or uncountable.
- With no article the adjective carries everything: guter Wein, kalte Milch, frisches Brot, gute Ideen. These are the endings der, die, das would have had.
- This is what a menu, a shopping list or a sign looks like. Frisches Obst. Kalte Getränke. No article, and the ending doing all of the work.
The mistake you are about to make
frisch Obst
frisches Obst
A German sign with no article still needs the ending — frisches Obst, kalte Getränke. English signs carry none, so the bare adjective looks finished.
The -en that swallows everything
Know when the ending is simply -en and stop thinking.
- Away from the nominative the table collapses. Every dative, every genitive and every plural with an article takes -en, whatever the gender.
- mit dem neuen Auto, in der kleinen Stadt, die alten Häuser, wegen des schlechten Wetters. Four different situations, one ending.
- So in a real conversation, if you cannot work it out in time, say -en. It is right far more often than it is wrong.
The mistake you are about to make
mit dem neue Auto
mit dem neuen Auto
Once you leave the nominative the whole table collapses into -en. If you are guessing under pressure, guess -en: it is right far more often than not.
Describing in detail
Describe a place or a person in three full sentences.
- Two adjectives in a row take the same ending: ein kleines, altes Haus. The comma is normal and both words agree with the noun.
- An adjective can become a noun, and then it keeps its ending and takes a capital: der Alte, die Kleine, das Beste. Very common and easy to miss.
The mistake you are about to make
ein klein alt Haus
ein kleines, altes Haus
English stacks adjectives bare — a small old house. German gives every one of them the same ending, and usually a comma in between.