German adjective endings, and why -en is the safest guess
An adjective before a noun takes an ending that depends on the article, the gender and the case. Three tables cover every combination, but the numbers are reassuring: of the 553 inflected adjective forms among the 5,000 most common German words, 47% end in -en and 44% in -e.
How often each ending appears
Counted over adjective forms in the list that are the adjective plus an ending; comparatives such as kleiner (smaller) are left out. The forms of neu alone: neue #103, neuen #134, neuer #631, neues #524, neuem #3,966.
The shortcut
- After der, die, das (and dieser, jeder, welcher) the ending is -e in the five places that look like the dictionary form — nominative singular, and feminine and neuter accusative — and -en everywhere else.
- After ein, kein and the possessives it is the same, except where ein has no ending of its own (masculine nominative, neuter nominative and accusative). There the adjective shows the gender instead: ein neuer Tisch, ein neues Bett.
- With no article the adjective takes the ending the article would have had: kalter Kaffee (der), frische Milch (die), kaltes Wasser (das), mit kaltem Wasser (dem).
- After sein there is no ending at all: Der Tisch ist neu.
The three tables
| Case | masculine | feminine | neuter | plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | der neue Tisch | die neue Lampe | das neue Bett | die neuen Stühle |
| accusative | den neuen Tisch | die neue Lampe | das neue Bett | die neuen Stühle |
| dative | dem neuen Tisch | der neuen Lampe | dem neuen Bett | den neuen Stühlen |
| genitive | des neuen Tisches | der neuen Lampe | des neuen Bettes | der neuen Stühle |
| Case | masculine | feminine | neuter | plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | ein neuer Tisch | eine neue Lampe | ein neues Bett | keine neuen Stühle |
| accusative | einen neuen Tisch | eine neue Lampe | ein neues Bett | keine neuen Stühle |
| dative | einem neuen Tisch | einer neuen Lampe | einem neuen Bett | keinen neuen Stühlen |
| genitive | eines neuen Tisches | einer neuen Lampe | eines neuen Bettes | keiner neuen Stühle |
| Case | masculine | feminine | neuter | plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | neuer Tisch | neue Lampe | neues Bett | neue Stühle |
| accusative | neuen Tisch | neue Lampe | neues Bett | neue Stühle |
| dative | neuem Tisch | neuer Lampe | neuem Bett | neuen Stühlen |
| genitive | neuen Tisches | neuer Lampe | neuen Bettes | neuer Stühle |
Bold is the ending. In the first table, everything that is not -e is -en; in the third, the endings are almost exactly those of der, die, das (the article tables).
In a sentence
- Der neue Kollege kommt aus Wien. The new colleague is from Vienna.
- Wir haben einen neuen Tisch gekauft. We have bought a new table.
- Sie wohnt in einer kleinen Wohnung. She lives in a small flat.
- Ich trinke gern kaltes Wasser. I like drinking cold water.
Questions
Why do German adjectives have endings?
Because gender and case have to show somewhere. If the article already shows them (der, dem), the adjective takes a plain -e or -en; if it does not (ein, or no article), the adjective takes over the article’s ending: ein neuer Tisch, neues Bett.
What is the most common German adjective ending?
-en. Among the 553 inflected adjective forms in the 5,000 most common German words, 260 end in -en and 241 in -e: together 91%.
Do adjectives after sein take an ending?
No. After sein, werden and bleiben the adjective stays as it is: Der Tisch ist neu. Endings only appear when the adjective stands before a noun.
More German grammar
- The four German casesNominative, accusative, dative, genitive — and the article tables
- Prepositions and their casesDative, accusative, two-way and genitive
- Personal pronounsich, mich, mir — every case in one table
- The perfect tense: haben or seinEvery participle in the list, sorted
- PluralsThe five endings, by gender
- Word orderVerb second, verb last, and the bracket
- Der, die or das?The endings that predict noun gender