Adjektivdeklination I
Weak Endings After Der, Die, Das
The Article Already Signals; The Adjective Relaxes↓
You have entered the realm of adjective declension. This is where many German learners freeze in terror. But we are about to dismantle that fear with a single insight: When a definite article (der, die, das) precedes an adjective, the article has already done the grammatical work. The adjective merely agrees with simple, predictable endings: almost always -en, with just a handful of exceptions.
The Secret: The Article Signals; The Adjective Relaxes
In German, grammatical information (gender, number, case) must be signaled clearly. When a definite article precedes the adjective, that article is the signal-carrier. The definite article already tells you the gender and case through its form (der, die, das, den, dem, des, etc.). The adjective's job is simple: agree without adding more information. This is called "weak" declension because the adjective needs to do minimal work.
Understanding the Five Exceptions
Here is the remarkable fact: 80% of weak adjective endings are -en. The remaining 20% are just five nominative and accusative slots where the ending is -e. These five exceptions are:
2. Nominative feminine: die große Frau (-e)
3. Nominative neuter: das große Haus (-e)
4. Accusative feminine: die große Frau (-e)
5. Accusative neuter: das große Haus (-e)
The Complete Weak Declension Table
This is the full weak declension table after definite articles. Study the pattern. Notice how -e appears only in the five exceptions, and -en dominates everywhere else. The color coding helps: gold for -e, silver for -en.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural (All) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -e der große Mann | -e die große Frau | -e das große Haus | -en die großen Häuser |
| Accusative | -en den großen Mann | -e die große Frau | -e das große Haus | -en die großen Häuser |
| Dative | -en dem großen Mann | -en der großen Frau | -en dem großen Haus | -en den großen Häusern |
| Genitive | -en des großen Mannes | -en der großen Frau | -en des großen Hauses | -en der großen Häuser |
The Pattern Revealed: You have only two endings to learn: -e and -en. The -e appears in exactly five slots (the four nominative singulars plus accusative feminine and neuter). Everything else is -en. Once you see this pattern, the table becomes simple. It's not 16 endings; it's two, with a clear rule.
Progressive Examples: Building Mastery
Der große Mann ist alt. (The big man is old.)
Die schöne Frau spricht Deutsch. (The beautiful woman speaks German.)
Das neue Auto fährt schnell. (The new car drives fast.)
Die großen Häuser sind alt. (The big houses are old.)
Ich sehe den großen Mann. (I see the big man.)
Ich sehe die schöne Frau. (I see the beautiful woman.)
Ich sehe das neue Auto. (I see the new car.)
Ich sehe die großen Häuser. (I see the big houses.)
Ich spreche mit dem großen Mann. (I speak with the big man.)
Ich spreche mit der schönen Frau. (I speak with the beautiful woman.)
Ich spreche mit dem neuen Auto. (I speak with the new car.)
Ich spreche mit den großen Häusern. (I speak with the big houses.)
Das Buch des großen Mannes. (The book of the big man.)
Die Tasche der schönen Frau. (The bag of the beautiful woman.)
Die Farbe des neuen Autos. (The color of the new car.)
Das Dach der großen Häuser. (The roof of the big houses.)
Essential Adjectives: Your Building Blocks
These ten adjectives will anchor your understanding. Click on each to hear the pronunciation, and notice how the example changes with case.
The Chinese Bridge: Why This Matters
In Chinese, adjectives do not decline. The word 大 (dà = big) remains 大 regardless of the grammatical context. A big man is 大人 (dà rén). A big house is 大房子 (dà fángzi). The adjective never changes.
大房子 (dà fángzi) — big house
大树 (dà shù) — big tree
The adjective 大 never changes.
German, by contrast, encodes grammatical information directly into the adjective ending. The adjective becomes a carrier of gender and case information. This allows German to maintain word order flexibility: the ending tells you who does what to whom, regardless of position.
Den großen Mann (The big man — accusative, signals through article and adjective)
Dem großen Mann (The big man — dative, signals through article and adjective)
Case-by-Case Narrative: Understanding Why
Nominative is where the subject stands. The article in nominative is maximally informative: der, die, das. Each one is distinct. Because the article is already clear about gender, the adjective agrees simply: -e. This is the baseline. Everything in nominative singular takes -e. The only plural nominative adjectives take -en because the article die tells you it's plural, and the adjective joins in with -en.
Die alte Frau wartet. (The old woman waits.)
Das neue Haus ist schön. (The new house is beautiful.)
Die kleinen Kinder spielen. (The small children play.)
Accusative is where the direct object sits. Here's where weak declension shows its elegance. The accusative article signals the information: den (masculine), die (feminine), das (neuter). Notice that feminine and neuter don't change from nominative (die, das). Their adjectives also don't change: -e. But the masculine changes: den instead of der. So the accusative masculine adjective changes to -en to match the change in the article.
Ich sehe die alte Frau. (I see the old woman.)
Ich sehe das neue Haus. (I see the new house.)
Ich sehe die kleinen Kinder. (I see the small children.)
Dative is the indirect object or prepositional case. Here, weak declension achieves uniformity. The dative article is: dem (masculine), der (feminine), dem (neuter), den (plural). All of these signal gender and case clearly. The adjective's job is simple: take -en across the board. No exceptions. All dative adjectives, regardless of gender or number, use -en.
Ich schreibe der alten Frau einen Brief. (I write the old woman a letter.)
Ich helfe dem neuen Haus—nein, ich helfe dem neuenen Besitzer. (I help the new owner.)
Ich spreche mit den kleinen Kindern. (I speak with the small children.)
Genitive expresses possession or relationship. It is the most complex case morphologically (notice: des Mannes, der Frau, des Hauses, der Häuser—all the articles change and the nouns add endings). But for the adjective, it's simple: always -en. No exceptions. Whether the noun is masculine, feminine, neuter, or plural, the adjective takes -en.
Der Name der alten Frau. (The name of the old woman.)
Die Farbe des neuen Hauses. (The color of the new house.)
Das Lachen der kleinen Kinder. (The laughter of the small children.)
The Five Exceptions Explained: Why They Make Sense
The five exceptions (nominative m/f/n and accusative f/n) all occur where the article ending is maximally informative. In nominative, the article is der (masculine), die (feminine), or das (neuter)—each one is unique and clear. The adjective's -e is redundant; it simply marks agreement. In accusative, feminine and neuter don't change from nominative, so their adjectives don't change either. Only accusative masculine changes (den instead of der), so only the masculine accusative adjective ends in -en.
| The Five Exceptions | Why -e? |
|---|---|
| Nominative Masculine (der großer Mann) | Article is clear (der). Adjective agrees simply. |
| Nominative Feminine (die große Frau) | Article is clear (die). Adjective agrees simply. |
| Nominative Neuter (das große Haus) | Article is clear (das). Adjective agrees simply. |
| Accusative Feminine (die große Frau) | No change from nominative. Article stays die; adjective stays -e. |
| Accusative Neuter (das große Haus) | No change from nominative. Article stays das; adjective stays -e. |
The exceptions aren't random. They follow a logical pattern: where the article is already clear, the adjective can be simple. This is the heart of weak declension: efficiency. The article carries the information. The adjective marks agreement without redundancy.
Common Mistake: Confusing Weak with Other Systems
Weak declension is specifically for definite articles (der, die, das). In the next chapter, you will learn strong declension (no article) and mixed declension (ein/kein). Don't mix them now. Focus on weak: whenever you see a definite article, you're in weak territory. Two endings: -e and -en. That's all.
You have now absorbed the logic of weak adjective declension. The article signals. The adjective agrees. Five simple exceptions in nominative and accusative where the article is clearest. Everything else: -en. What seemed like a terrifying 4×4 table of 16 forms is actually just two endings with a clear, learnable pattern. Nominative uses -e (all singulars, plural nominative stays -en). Accusative keeps feminine and neuter at -e, changes masculine to -en. Dative and genitive: all -en, no exceptions. Mastery of this principle is the foundation upon which strong and mixed declension will build. You are no longer afraid. You understand.
Chapter 73 Quiz: Weak Adjective Declension (15 Questions)
Bauwerkstatt — Production Workshop
Lesen & Hören — Read and Listen
Verständnisfragen — Comprehension Questions
Diktat — Dictation Exercise
Listen and type what you hear.
The 80/20 Rule: 80% of Weak Endings Are -en — Most weak adjective endings are -en. Only five exceptions exist, all in nominative or accusative singulars: nominative masculine, nominative feminine, nominative neuter, accusative feminine, and accusative neuter all take -e. Everything else: -en.
Dative and Genitive Are Always -en Regardless of Gender — In dative, all genders and numbers take -en. In genitive, all take -en. This uniformity makes these cases easier than nominative/accusative, which have exceptions.
Two Endings to Master, Not Sixteen — Weak declension appears complex, but it reduces to just two endings: -e (5 exceptions) and -en (everywhere else). Once you identify which slot in the table you're using, the ending follows automatically.