Adjectives in German
German Adjectives - A2 Level #
Adjective Declension Rules #
German adjectives change their endings based on:
- Gender (masculine, feminine, neuter)
- Case (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive)
- Number (singular, plural)
- Type of article (definite, indefinite, or no article)
Adjective Endings with Definite Articles (der, die, das) #
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| Accusative | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| Dative | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| Genitive | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Examples:
- Nominative: Der große Mann (The big man) - बड़ा आदमी
- Accusative: Ich sehe den großen Mann (I see the big man) - मैं बड़े आदमी को देखता हूं
- Dative: Ich gebe dem großen Mann das Buch (I give the book to the big man) - मैं बड़े आदमी को किताब देता हूं
Adjective Endings with Indefinite Articles (ein, eine, ein) #
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| Accusative | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| Dative | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| Genitive | -en | -en | -en | -er |
Examples:
- Nominative: Ein kleiner Hund (A small dog) - एक छोटा कुत्ता
- Accusative: Ich kaufe eine schöne Blume (I buy a beautiful flower) - मैं एक सुंदर फूल खरीदता हूं
- Dative: Er hilft einem kranken Kind (He helps a sick child) - वह एक बीमार बच्चे की मदद करता है
Adjective Endings without Articles #
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| Accusative | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| Dative | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| Genitive | -en | -er | -en | -er |
Examples:
- Nominative: Kaltes Wasser (Cold water) - ठंडा पानी
- Accusative: Ich trinke kalte Milch (I drink cold milk) - मैं ठंदा दूध पीता हूं
- Dative: Mit gutem Wetter (With good weather) - अच्छे मौसम के साथ
Common A2 Level Adjectives #
Physical Descriptions #
- groß - big, tall - बड़ा/लंबा
- klein - small, short - छोटा
- dick - thick, fat - मोटा
- dünn - thin - पतला
- jung - young - जवान
- alt - old - बूढ़ा/पुराना
- neu - new - नया
- schön - beautiful - सुंदर
- hässlich - ugly - बदसूरत
Colors #
- rot - red - लाल
- blau - blue - नीला
- grün - green - हरा
- gelb - yellow - पीला
- schwarz - black - काला
- weiß - white - सफेद
- braun - brown - भूरा
- grau - gray - धूसर
Feelings and Qualities #
- glücklich - happy - खुश
- traurig - sad - उदास
- müde - tired - थका हुआ
- krank - sick - बीमार
- gesund - healthy - स्वस्थ
- stark - strong - मजबूत
- schwach - weak - कमजोर
- schnell - fast - तेज
- langsam - slow - धीमा
- klug - smart - होशियार
Weather and Temperature #
- heiß - hot - गर्म
- kalt - cold - ठंडा
- warm - warm - गर्म (moderate)
- kühl - cool - ठंडक
- trocken - dry - सूखा
- nass - wet - गीला
- sonnig - sunny - धूप वाला
- windig - windy - हवादार
Taste #
- süß - sweet - मीठा
- sauer - sour - खट्टा
- salzig - salty - नमकीन
- bitter - bitter - कड़वा
- scharf - spicy/sharp - तीखा
Example Sentences with Different Cases #
Using Definite Articles #
- Nominative: Die rote Rose ist schön. (The red rose is beautiful) - लाल गुलाब सुंदर है।
- Accusative: Ich kaufe das neue Auto. (I buy the new car) - मैं नई कार खरीदता हूं।
- Dative: Er gibt der kleinen Katze Milch. (He gives milk to the small cat) - वह छोटी बिल्ली को दूध देता है।
- Genitive: Das Haus des reichen Mannes ist groß. (The rich man’s house is big) - अमीर आदमी का घर बड़ा है।
Using Indefinite Articles #
- Nominative: Ein junger Student lernt Deutsch. (A young student learns German) - एक जवान छात्र जर्मन सीखता है।
- Accusative: Sie hat einen alten Freund besucht. (She visited an old friend) - उसने एक पुराने दोस्त से मुलाकात की।
- Dative: Wir helfen einer kranken Frau. (We help a sick woman) - हम एक बीमार औरत की मदद करते हैं।
Without Articles #
- Nominative: Kaltes Bier schmeckt gut. (Cold beer tastes good) - ठंडी बीयर अच्छी लगती है।
- Accusative: Ich esse frisches Obst. (I eat fresh fruit) - मैं ताजा फल खाता हूं।
- Dative: Mit gutem Wetter gehen wir spazieren. (With good weather we go for a walk) - अच्छे मौसम में हम टहलने जाते हैं।
Tips for A2 Learners #
- Remember the patterns: With definite articles, most endings are -en except nominative which is -e
- Practice with common adjectives: Start with everyday adjectives like colors and basic descriptions
- Learn adjectives with nouns: Always practice adjectives with the nouns they describe
- Pay attention to gender: The adjective ending depends on the gender of the noun
- Use context clues: In conversations, context often helps even if the ending isn’t perfect
Common Mistakes to Avoid #
- Forgetting to decline: Always change the adjective ending based on case and gender
- Mixing up article types: Different article types (der/die/das vs ein/eine vs no article) require different endings
- Ignoring plural forms: Plural adjectives have their own set of endings
- Word order: Adjectives come before the noun they describe in German