Adjectives describe nouns, i.e. a person, a place, or a thing.
German
English
Sie trägt ein rotes Kleid.
She is wearing a red dress.
Using Adjectives
Rule 1: Adjectives can be placed:
- after the verb sein (to be), bleiben (to stay) or werden (to become). In this case, they are invariable.
German
English
Die Katze ist grau.
The cat is grey.
- before the noun they describe. In this case, they must be declined with the noun they characterize (in gender, number and in case).
German
English
Die graue Katze frisst.
The gray cat eats.
Comparative Form of Adjectives
Rule 2: Just like in English, German adjectives have three forms of degree when comparing things. The comparative is the first form of progression and describes things that are not equal.
Rule 3: Comparative degree is formed with the following structure:
- adjective + ending -er.
Adjectives with one syllable often form the comparative with umlaut (ä,ö,ü), i.e. "alt - älter".
German
English
Die größere Katze frisst zuerst.
The bigger cat eats first.
Superlative Form of Adjectives
Rule 4: The superlative describes a progression that cannot be increased more, or the highest quality of a noun.
Rule 5: Superlative degree is formed with the following construction:
- a definite article "der/die/das" + adjective + declined ending -ste/n/m/r/s
or
- word "am" + adjective + ending -sten.
Adjectives with one syllable often form the superlative with umlaut.
German
English
Die größte Katze frisst zuerst.
The biggest cat eats first.
Ich bin am größten.
I am the tallest.