What are adjective conjugations?

Adjective conjugations are the changes that adjectives undergo to agree with the gender, number, and case of the nouns they modify. In German, there are three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. There are also two numbers: singular and plural. There are four cases: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive.

How do adjectives conjugate in German?

Adjectives conjugate by adding suffixes to the end of the adjective stem. The suffixes that are added depend on the gender, number, and case of the noun that the adjective modifies.

Adjective Endings in Nominative Case:

1. Masculine (der):
   • Der neue Lehrer ist nett. (The new teacher is nice.)
2. Feminine (die):
   • Die junge Studentin liest ein Buch. (The young student is reading a book.)
3. Neuter (das):
   • Das kleine Kind schläft. (The small child is sleeping.)
4. Plural (die):
   • Die großen Häuser sind teuer. (The big houses are expensive.)

Adjective Endings in Accusative Case:

1. Masculine (den):
   • Ich sehe den alten Mann. (I see the old man.)
2. Feminine (die):
   • Er liebt die schöne Blume. (He loves the beautiful flower.)
3. Neuter (das):
   • Sie hat das interessante Buch gelesen. (She has read the interesting book.)
4. Plural (die):
   • Wir haben die guten Freunde eingeladen. (We invited the good friends.)

Adjective Endings in Dative Case:

1. Masculine (dem):
   • Gib das Buch dem netten Professor. (Give the book to the nice professor.)
2. Feminine (der):
   • Ich schenke der kleinen Schwester ein Geschenk. (I am giving a gift to the little sister.)
3. Neuter (dem):
   • Er gibt dem kleinen Kind einen Ball. (He gives a ball to the small child.)
4. Plural (den):
   • Wir helfen den armen Menschen. (We help the poor people.)

• Nominative Case (Subject):
  • Masculine: A small man (kleiner Mann)
  • Feminine: A small woman (kleine Frau)
  • Neuter: A small child (kleines Kind)
  • Plural: Small children (kleine Kinder)
• Accusative Case (Direct Object):
  • Masculine: I see a small man (Ich sehe einen kleinen Mann)
  • Feminine: He loves a small flower (Er liebt eine kleine Blume)
  • Neuter: She has read an interesting book (Sie hat ein interessantes Buch gelesen)
  • Plural: We invited good friends (Wir haben gute Freunde eingeladen)
• Dative Case (Indirect Object):
  • Masculine: Give the book to the nice professor (Gib das Buch dem netten Professor)
  • Feminine: I am giving a gift to the little sister (Ich schenke der kleinen Schwester ein Geschenk)
  • Neuter: He gives a ball to the small child (Er gibt dem kleinen Kind einen Ball)
  • Plural: We help the poor people (Wir helfen den armen Menschen)