Adjektive nach Der-Wörtern – Adjectives after Der-Words
Adjectives that follow definite articles (der, die, das, den, dem, etc.) or the other der-words – dieser, jeder, jener, mancher, solcher, welcher, alle – and precede the nouns they describe, take so-called weak endings. These endings apply whether the adjective is in the basic form or in the comparative or superlative forms.
To determine the correct adjective ending, determine the gender of the noun the adjective describes (masculine, feminine, neuter or plural) or number (in the case of plural nouns), then determine what case the noun is in the sentence or phrase (nominative, accusative, dative, or genitive).
| Nominativ | Akkusativ | Dativ | Genitiv | |
| Maskulin | der arme Mann | den armen Mann | dem armen Mann | des armen Mannes |
| Feminin | die alte Hexe | die alte Hexe | der alten Hexe | der alten Hexe |
| Neutral | das frische Gemüse | das frische Gemüse | dem frischen Gemüse | des frischen Gemüses |
| Plural | die frischen Rapunzeln | die frischen Rapunzeln | den frischen Rapunzeln | der frischen Rapunzeln |
Exceptions
When adjectives that end in –el, –en or –er in the basic form get an adjective ending, they drop the –e– before the final consonant and add the endings to this new form. For example: dunkel (dark) – eine dunkle Nacht.
Some adjectives with foreign origins (many of these words end in a vowel), do not take adjective endings. For example: rosa (pink) – ein rosa Haus.
