Adjective declension means changing the adjective's ending so that it agrees with a noun in terms of gender, number, and case. We can only decline adjectives that come before a noun in German.
There are three declensions of adjectives: strong, weak, and mixed. Let's see how they differ.
Strong Declension of Adjectives
Rule 1: In some cases, we do not use an article before a noun. An adjective "takes over" the function of the article and is declined like definite articles. We call it the strong declension.
German
English
Wir servieren kaltes Bier.
We serve cold beer.
![German Adjective Strong Declension](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/leeoh1ke/production/62898c662287a6883dacfea5cb310954086bbbcc-1024x500.jpg?fit=max)
Notes:
1) Masculine & Neuter in Genitiv: need to add -(e)s behind the noun.
2) Plural noun in Dativ form: need to add -n behind the noun.
Weak Declension of Adjectives
Rule 2: We have to use the weak declension if the adjective is placed
- before a noun but after the definite article (der/die/das)
- after words like dieser (this/these) / welcher (which) / jeder (everyone)/ mancher (some) / alle (all)
Rule 3: To decline adjectives in the weak position, we use different endings. You should:
- put the ending -e in singular for nominative case (male, female, and neutral forms).
- also use the ending -e in singular for accusative case, but only female and neutral forms.
- use the ending -en for the rest, including plural forms.
Note: The case marker is not carried by the adjective, but rather by the particle before it.
German
English
Er liebt dieses alte Hotel.
He loves this old hotel.
![German Adjective Weak Declension](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/leeoh1ke/production/038d1db4a6aa94c24d656cea7d9065a436edb657-1024x500.jpg?fit=max)
Mixed Declension of Adjectives
For Mixed Declension, adjective ending is with either strong or weak declension.
Rule 4: We use mixed declension if the adjective is placed before a noun but after
- an indefinite article (ein)
- a possessive pronoun (mein, dein, etc.)
- a negation article (kein)
Rule 5: We use the following endings for adjectives in the mixed declension:
- For singular nominative forms: -er for male, -e for female, -es for neutral.
- For singular accusative forms: -e for female and -es for neutral.
- For the rest, including plural forms: -en.
German
English
Das ist unser schönes Haus.
This is our lovely house.
![German Adjective Mixed Declension](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/leeoh1ke/production/9e0e58c95bba44cc7ec63eadea6eb704d09224b4-1024x500.jpg?fit=max)