Article & adjective patterns
After a definite article, adjectives take -e in nominative singular and accusative feminine/neuter, and -en in all the other nominative/accusative/dative forms. After ein/kein/possessives, the adjective supplies a gender ending when the article does not. With no article, the adjective usually carries the article’s case/gender signal.
Understand the idea
Article and adjective endings share the work of signalling case, gender and number. A strong article ending often lets the adjective use a weaker ending. Without an article, the adjective usually needs to carry more of that information itself.
Build it step by step
Choose between the definite, ein-type and no-article patterns before selecting the adjective ending. In plural, possessives and kein usually lead to adjective -en. Without an article, common nominative/accusative plural adjectives use -e. After a dative article, adjective -en is usual. Predicate adjectives remain uninflected.
See it in a sentence
Das ist ein netter Mann.
Ich trinke guten Kaffee.
Quick reference
On a small screen, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der gute Wein | die gute Milch | das gute Brot | die guten Bücher |
| Accusative | den guten Wein | die gute Milch | das gute Brot | die guten Bücher |
| Dative | dem guten Wein | der guten Milch | dem guten Brot | den guten Büchern |
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ein guter Wein | eine gute Milch | ein gutes Brot |
| Accusative | einen guten Wein | eine gute Milch | ein gutes Brot |
| Dative | einem guten Wein | einer guten Milch | einem guten Brot |
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | guter Wein | gute Milch | gutes Brot | gute Bücher |
| Accusative | guten Wein | gute Milch | gutes Brot | gute Bücher |
| Dative | gutem Wein | guter Milch | gutem Brot | guten Büchern |
A useful memory aid
Compare complete phrases vertically in the tables rather than memorising a single long list of endings. Say the article and adjective together.
A common trap
Do not apply the no-article pattern after meine or keine. Even though ein has no plural, these words do have plural forms and affect the adjective.