Learning German adjective endings (Adjektivdeklination) doesn’t have to be a nightmare. The secret is knowing which Article stands before the adjective.
There are three main tables you need to know. This guide presents them in the simplest way possible, highlighting the patterns that make them easy to memorize.
1. Weak Declension (After “der, die, das”)
Use this table when you have a Definite Article (or words like dieser, jeder, welcher). Because these articles already clearly show the gender and case, the adjective is “weak” and only has two possible endings: -e or -en.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
| Nominative | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| Accusative | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| Dative | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| Genitive | -en | -en | -en | -en |
The “Pot” Pattern: Notice how the -e ending only appears in the “inner circle” (Nominative and feminine/neuter Accusative). Everything else—including the entire plural and dative column—is -en.
2. Mixed Declension (After “ein, mein, kein”)
Use this table after an Indefinite Article (ein) or Possessive Determiners (mein, dein, sein, etc.). Here, the adjective must “help” show the gender where the article is unclear (like masculine and neuter Nominative).
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
| Nominative | -er | -e | -es | -en |
| Accusative | -en | -e | -es | -en |
| Dative | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| Genitive | -en | -en | -en | -en |
3. Strong Declension (No Article)
When there is no article at all before the adjective (Zero Article), the adjective must do all the work. The endings are almost identical to the endings of the definite articles (der -> -er, das -> -es).
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
| Nominative | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| Accusative | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| Dative | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| Genitive | -en | -er | -en | -er |
4. Which Table Should I Use? (The Decision Flow)
To avoid confusion, follow these three steps every time you see an adjective:
- Is there an article? -> If NO, use the Strong table.
- Is the article “der, die, das” (or “dieser”)? -> If YES, use the Weak table.
- Is the article “ein, mein, kein”? -> If YES, use the Mixed table.
Quick Memory Hacks:
- Plural: After any article (die, meine, keine), the plural adjective ending is always -en.
- Dative: No matter the article, the adjective ending in Dative is almost always -en (except in the Strong table).
- Accusative Masculine: Always ends in -en.
Ready to practice? Check out our interactive examples and detailed breakdowns here:Complete Guide to Adjektivdeklination.
Final Thoughts
These tables are the foundation of speaking correct German. At first, you’ll need to check them often, but with practice, the -en suffix will become your best friend—it appears in over 70% of all cases!
Next Step: Now that you have the endings, learn how to use them in a sentence with our guide to German Word Order in Questions!