Understanding German Adjective Agreement and Placement

What Are German Adjectives?

In German, adjectives are used to describe nouns just like in English. However, they follow specific rules for agreement depending on the noun they describe.

Adjective Agreement in German

Adjectives in German must agree with the gender, case, and number of the nouns they modify. This means the ending of an adjective changes based on these factors. For example: der große Tisch (the big table) and das große Haus (the big house).

Placement of Adjectives

In most cases, adjectives in German are placed before the noun they describe, just like in English. However, they can also follow the noun in some instances, especially in literary or poetic contexts.

Adjectives in Predicate Position

When an adjective is used with a linking verb such as sein (to be), it appears in the predicate and does not take any special endings. For example: Der Tisch ist groß. (The table is big.)

Regular Adjective Endings

• -e
• -en
• -em
• -er
• -es

Case and Gender Influence

The case (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive) and gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) of the noun also influence the adjective ending. For example, ein großer Hund (a big dog - nominative masculine) becomes einen großen Hund (a big dog - accusative masculine).