German adjective endings: strong, weak, and mixed
Three declension tables in one place — schwach (weak) after a definite article, gemischt (mixed) after an indefinite one, and stark (strong) with no article at all. One rule generates all three.
Know the table? Test yourself with the adjective endings practice.
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). Not sure which article form you have? Check the articles table.
- weak (schwach): der alte Mann — "der" already marks masculine nominative, so the adjective only needs -e
- mixed (gemischt): ein alter Mann — "ein" could be masculine or neuter, so the adjective supplies the -er
- strong (stark): alter Mann — nothing else can carry the marker, so the adjective takes the full -er
Strong, weak or mixed — which one do I use?
You do not choose the declension. What comes before the adjective chooses it for you.
weak — schwach
after der, die, das, den, dem, des — and dieser, jener, jeder, alle, welcher
der alte Mann
"der" already marks masculine nominative, so the adjective only needs -e
mixed — gemischt
after ein, eine, kein and the possessives (mein, dein, sein …)
ein alter Mann
"ein" could be masculine or neuter, so the adjective supplies the -er
strong — stark
when nothing precedes the adjective at all
alter Mann
nothing else can carry the marker, so the adjective takes the full -er
The declension chart — all three patterns side by side
The same 48 endings the three tables below show, arranged so you can compare the patterns in one place. Where a row reads the same across all three columns, the ending does not depend on the article at all.
| Case | Gender | weak (schwach) | mixed (gemischt) | strong (stark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | Masculine | -e | -er | -er |
| Nominativ | Feminine | -e | -e | -e |
| Nominativ | Neuter | -e | -es | -es |
| Nominativ | Plural | -en | -en | -e |
| Akkusativ | Masculine | -en | -en | -en |
| Akkusativ | Feminine | -e | -e | -e |
| Akkusativ | Neuter | -e | -es | -es |
| Akkusativ | Plural | -en | -en | -e |
| Dativ | Masculine | -en | -en | -em |
| Dativ | Feminine | -en | -en | -er |
| Dativ | Neuter | -en | -en | -em |
| Dativ | Plural | -en | -en | -en |
| Genitiv | Masculine | -en | -en | -en |
| Genitiv | Feminine | -en | -en | -er |
| Genitiv | Neuter | -en | -en | -en |
| Genitiv | Plural | -en | -en | -er |
Weak declension (schwach) — after a definite article
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.
Mixed declension (gemischt) — after an indefinite article
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).
Strong declension (stark) — with no article
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.
Quick reminders
- Irregular comparatives — must be memorised: gut → besser → am besten, viel → mehr → am meisten, hoch → höher → am höchsten, nah → näher → am nächsten, gern → lieber → am liebsten.
- No-umlaut exceptions — some adjectives with a/o/u do NOT add an umlaut in the comparative even though the rule would suggest it: bunt, froh, voll, rund, wahr, flach, klar. "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).