German adjective endings: strong, weak, and mixed
Three declension tables in one place — after definite articles (weak), after indefinite articles (mixed), and without any article (strong). One rule generates all three.
The one-rule shortcut
The strong gender marker goes to either the article or the adjective — never both, never neither.
If der/die/das/den/dem/des already appears (definite article), the adjective ends in -e/-en (weak). If the article is ambiguous or absent, the adjective takes the marker (strong endings).
- Definite (weak): der alte Mann — "der" already signals masculine Nom., adjective takes -e
- Indefinite (mixed): ein alter Mann — "ein" is ambiguous, adjective takes -er to signal masculine
- No article (strong): alter Mann — no article at all, adjective carries the full -er marker
After definite articles — weak declension
Used after: der, die, das, den, dem, des (and dieser, jener, jeder, alle, welcher).
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| Akkusativ | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| Dativ | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| Genitiv | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Example: der große Hund / die große Katze / das große Haus
After the definite article — the article already shows the case, so the adjective takes a weak ending.
After indefinite articles — mixed declension
Used after: ein, eine, kein, and possessive pronouns (mein, dein, sein…).
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | -er | -e | -es | -en |
| Akkusativ | -en | -e | -es | -en |
| Dativ | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| Genitiv | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Example: ein großer Hund / eine große Katze / ein großes Haus
After the indefinite article — the adjective must show gender in Nominativ masc. and Nom./Akk. neut. (strong slots).
Amber cells mark strong endings — where the adjective carries the case/gender signal.
Without any article — strong declension
Used when no article precedes the adjective — the adjective itself carries the full gender marker.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| Akkusativ | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| Dativ | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| Genitiv | -en | -er | -en | -er |
Example: großer Hund / große Katze / großes Haus
No article — the adjective takes all the strong endings to carry case and gender information.
Amber cells mark strong endings — where the adjective carries the case/gender signal.
Quick reminders
- Irregular comparatives — must be memorised: gut → besser → best-, viel → mehr → meist-, gern → lieber → liebst-, hoch → höher → höchst-, nah → näher → nächst-.
- No-umlaut exceptions — some adjectives with a/o/u do NOT add an umlaut in comparative even though the rule would suggest it: flach, froh, schlank, toll, rund, bunt. "Froher" (not "fröher"), "flacher" (not "flächer").
- Adjectives used as nouns — decline like adjectives, not nouns: der Deutsche → einen Deutschen (mixed), als Deutscher (strong without article).