German Adjective Endings

This tool is meant to help beginners determine which adjective ending is appropriate to use when writing and speaking in German. We suggest that you try to memorize these endings as you further your German education (rather than relying too heavily on the this or other tools!). Ready to get started? [[Yes -> Plural?]]

Is the noun plural? [[Yes -> Plural der/ein]] [[No -> Der]] [[I'm not sure -> Leo]]

Is there a "der" word before the noun? [[Yes -> der nom]] [[No -> ein]] [[I'm not sure -> der and ein words]]

Does the plural noun have a "der" or "ein" word before it? [[Yes -> en]] [[No -> pl. nom/acc]] [[I'm not sure -> der and ein words]]

Common "der" words include: any definite article (i.e. der, die, das, etc.), dies-, jen-, jed-, manch-, solch-, welch-, all- Common "ein" words include: any indefinite article (i.e. ein, eine, etc.), possessive pronouns (i.e. mein, dein, etc.), kein-

If you're not sure about the gender of your noun or whether or not it is plural, double check on Leo: https://dict.leo.org/german-english/

What is the gender of the noun? [[Masculine -> en]] [[Feminine or Neuter -> der fem and n case]] [[I'm not sure -> Leo]]

Is there an "ein" word before the noun? [[Yes -> ein dat/gen]] [[No -> no article]] [[I'm not sure -> der and ein words]]

The propper adjective einding is: -en [[Restart -> Plural?]]

Is the noun in either the Nominative or Accusative case? [[Yes -> e]] [[No -> pl. dat/gen]] [[I'm not sure -> case]]

The proper adjective ending is: -e [[Restart -> Plural?]]

Is the noun in the Dative case or is it in the Genitive case? [[Dative -> en]] [[Genivite -> er]] [[I'm not sure -> case]]

How to tell what case to use: The Nominitive case- The Nominitive case is reserved for the subject of the sentence. The subject is the the noun that is performing the verb. In the sentence "Hans isst," Hans would be the subject because he is the one who is eating. The Accusitive case- The Accusitive case is reserved for the direct object of the sentence. The direct object is the noun which is acted upon by the verb. In the sentence "Sabine hat einen Apfel," einen Apfel is the direct object because it is the thing that is being had. The Dative case- The Dative case is reserved for the indirect object of the sentence. The indirect object is the noun for whom the action is being performed. In the sentence "Ich gebe dem Hund den Ball," dem Hund would be the indirect object because it is the one being given the ball. The Genitive case- The Genitive case is reserved for possession. In the sentence "Das Buch des Mannes ist Rot," Das Buch des Mannes is expressing that the book is the man's. Achtung! Don't forget that some prepositions will also change the case of the noun!

The proper adjective ending is: -er [[Restart -> Plural?]]

Is the noun in the Nominative case? [[Yes -> e]] [[No -> der gender]] [[I'm not sure -> case]]

What case is the noun in? [[Accusative -> e]] [[Dative or Genitive -> en]]

Is the noun in the Dative or Genitive case? [[Yes -> en]] [[No -> ein gen]] [[I'm not sure -> case]]

What gender is the noun? [[Masculine -> no mas]] [[Feminine -> no fem]] [[Neuter -> no n]] [[I'm not sure -> Leo]]

What gender is the noun? [[Masculine -> ein mas]] [[Feminine -> e]] [[Neuter -> es]] [[I'm not sure -> Leo]]

Which case is the noun in? [[Nominative -> er]] [[Accusative -> en]] [[I'm not sure -> case]]

The proper adjective ending is: -es [[Restart -> Plural?]]

What case is the noun in? [[Nominative -> er]] [[Accusative or Genitive -> en]] [[Dative -> em]] [[I'm not sure -> case]]

What case is the noun in? [[Nominative or Accusative -> e]] [[Dative or Genitive -> er]] [[I'm not sure -> case]]

What case is the noun in? [[Nominative or Accusative -> es]] [[Dative -> em]] [[Genitive -> en]] [[I'm not sure -> case]]

The proper adjective ending is: -em [[Restart -> Plural?]]