Adjective Endings Without An Article

Level 3

When there is no article (like 'der' or 'ein') before a noun, the adjective must 'step up' and show the gender and case itself. These endings mostly match the definite articles (der, die, das).

How It Works

Strong adjective declension (starke Adjektivdeklination) is used when an adjective is placed before a noun without any preceding determiner (the 'Zero Article').

The Rule of Thumb:
The endings are almost identical to the endings of the definite articles (der, die, das):

  • Masculine: -er (Nom), -en (Akk), -em (Dat), -en (Gen)
  • Feminine: -e (Nom), -e (Akk), -er (Dat), -er (Gen)
  • Neuter: -es (Nom), -es (Akk), -em (Dat), -en (Gen)
  • Plural: -e (Nom), -e (Akk), -en (Dat), -er (Gen)

The Genitive Exception:
In the Masculine and Neuter Genitive singular, the ending is -en instead of -es. This is because the noun itself already carries an -(e)s ending, making a strong signal on the adjective redundant.

Stem Changes:
1. Adjectives ending in -el (e.g., dunkel) drop the stem 'e' when inflected: dunkler Wein. Adjectives like teuer drop it too: teure Milch. Most other adjectives ending in -er keep it: bittere Milch.
2. The adjective hoch drops the 'c' when inflected: ein hoher Turm.

Examples (5)

  1. Frisches Brot riecht wunderbar.

    Fresh bread smells wonderful.

    Word by Word: Fresh bread smells wonderful.

    'Brot' is neuter nominative. Since there is no article, the adjective 'frisch' takes the strong neuter ending -es.

  2. Wir trinken Kaffee mit heißem Milchschaum.

    We drink coffee with hot milk froth.

    Word by Word: We drink coffee with hot milk-froth.

    'Milchschaum' is masculine. After the preposition 'mit' (dative), the adjective takes the strong masculine dative ending -em.

  3. Der Duft frischer Blumen erfüllte den Raum.

    The scent of fresh flowers filled the room.

    Word by Word: The scent [of] fresh flowers filled the room.

    'Blumen' is plural genitive. Without an article, the adjective 'frisch' takes the strong plural genitive ending -er.

  4. Ich trinke gerne kalten Tee.

    I like drinking cold tea.

    Word by Word: I drink gladly cold tea.

    'Tee' is masculine accusative (direct object). The adjective takes the strong ending -en.

  5. Wegen schlechten Wetters bleiben wir zu Hause.

    Because of bad weather, we are staying at home.

    Word by Word: Because [of] bad weather stay we at home.

    This shows the genitive exception. Even though 'Wetter' is neuter, the adjective takes -en (not -es) because the noun already has the -s ending.

Common Mistakes

  • Using strong endings on predicate adjectives (after the verb).

    Der Wein ist guter.
    Der Wein ist gut.

    Adjectives take endings when they stand before a noun, or in place of one, as in 'das Gute'. If they come after a verb like 'sein', they stay in their basic form.

  • Using -es for masculine/neuter genitive singular.

    der Geschmack gutes Weines
    der Geschmack guten Weines

    In the genitive singular for masculine and neuter nouns, the adjective uses the 'weak' -en ending because the noun's -(e)s ending already signals the case.

  • Forgetting endings after numbers like 'zwei' or 'drei'.

    zwei klein Kinder
    zwei kleine Kinder

    Numbers (except 'eins') do not count as articles, so the following adjective must take a strong plural ending.

How It Connects

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Adjective Endings Without An ArticleLevel 3

Learn This First

Strong adjective endings are used when no article is present to indicate the gender and case of a noun. To learn this, a learner must already understand noun gender, the German case system, and the basic placement of adjectives before nouns.

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Patterns that build on this one.