Adjectives
Adjectives are very useful in making sentences more interesting or for providing clarity. They modify nouns and pronouns and can be predicative or attributive:
Predicative: He is lucky.
Attributive: John is a lucky guy.
Adjectives work the same way in German, with the exception of requiring an ending when used attributively:
The pattern illustrated above shows a declined adjective in the dative case. How-ever, declined adjectives occur in all cases (nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive).
Predicative: Sie ist klug. She is smart.
Attributive: Tina ist eine kluge Frau. Tina is a smart woman.
When an adjective ending is required, the nominative singular of all three genders and the accusative singular of the feminine and neuter indicate gender differently, depending upon whether the determiner used is a der-word or an ein-word:
With both kinds of determiners, the adjective ending is always -en in the masculine accusative and throughout the dative and genitive with feminine and neuter nouns. In the plural, all adjectives with these determiners have an -en ending. For example:
The determiners alle (all) and beide (both) are exceptions. They are der-words but are only used in the plural. For example:
Unpreceded adjectives
There are times when a determiner does not precede an adjective. In such cases, the adjective will have the ending that would normally have been on an ein-word. This is true in both the singular and plural. Examples of unpreceded adjectives:
Nominative: kalter Kaffee kalte Suppe kaltes Eis kalte Finger
Accusative: kalten Kaffee kalte Suppe kaltes Eis kalte Finger
Dative: kaltem Kaffee kalter Suppe kaltem Eis kalten Fingern
Genitive: kalten Kaffees kalter Suppe kalten Eises kalter Finger
cold coffee cold soup cold ice cold fingers
Special mention must be made of three of the der-words: mancher, solcher, welcher. They can be used in two ways: (1) just like other der-words; and (2) in an undeclined form that requires the adjective that follows it to use the endings that are required with unpreceded adjectives. For example:
However, solcher as a der-word tends to be used in the plural, and in the singular it follows
Just like the usage of manch, solch, and welch illustrated above, there are other occasions
when an adjective requires the same endings as in the previous examples. They occur with etwas, mehr, viel, wenig, and with numbers, and can be used in both singular and plural phrases. For example:
etwas schwarzer Marmor some black marble
mehr interessante Bücher more interesting books
viel amerikanisches Geld much American money
wenig heiße Tage few hot days
The declension for such phrases follows the pattern illustrated by manch guter Mann, above.
Comparative and superlative
When comparing two people or things, the comparative form of an adjective is used. In general, a comparative is formed by adding -er to the adjective:
Positive Comparative
laut loud lauter louder
schnell fast schneller faster
interessant interesting interessanter more interesting
The conjunction als (than) can be added to make the comparison:
Superlatives used as predicate adjectives are formed by preceding them with the prepositional phrase am (an dem) and adding the suffix -sten:
Positive Superlative
laut loud am lautesten the loudest
schnell fast am schnellsten the fastest
interessant interesting am interessantesten the most interesting
Many adjectives that have an a, o, or u (called umlaut vowels) in their base form will require an umlaut in the comparative and superlative:
Just as English has a few irregular forms in the comparative and superlative, so, too, does German.
Positive Comparative Superlative
Another spelling concern arises with adjectives that end in -el, -en, and -er. In the compara-tive the -e- is usually dropped:
Comparatives and superlatives can be used in the same way as predicate adjectives:
When a comparative or superlative adjective is used attributively, it requires the same kinds
Adjectives as nouns
Just about any adjective can be used as a noun in German. And when it is, it is capitalized, but it still functions as an adjective; that is, it still shows the appropriate number, gender, and case by its ending. For example:
Here are some adjectives and participles that commonly function as nouns:
Naturally, most nouns given above could be feminine or plural.
Predicative: He is lucky.
Attributive: John is a lucky guy.
Adjectives work the same way in German, with the exception of requiring an ending when used attributively:
◆
Predicative:
subject + linking verb + adjective
Die Frau + ist + krank.
The woman is sick.
◆
Attributive:
subject + verb + declined
adjective + object
Die Frau + hilft + dem kranken + Kind.
The woman helps the sick child.
The pattern illustrated above shows a declined adjective in the dative case. How-ever, declined adjectives occur in all cases (nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive).
Predicative: Sie ist klug. She is smart.
Attributive: Tina ist eine kluge Frau. Tina is a smart woman.
When an adjective ending is required, the nominative singular of all three genders and the accusative singular of the feminine and neuter indicate gender differently, depending upon whether the determiner used is a der-word or an ein-word:
Der-words Ein-words
der, die, das the ein, eine a, an, one
dieser this mein my
jener that dein your
jeder each sein his
mancher many a ihr her, their
solcher such unser our
welcher which, what euer your
derjenige the one Ihr your
derselbe the same kein not any
With der-words, gender is shown in the determiner. With ein-words, gender is shown in the adjective. For example:
Nominative:
|
der alte Mann
|
diese alte Frau
|
jedes alte Haus
|
Accusative:
|
*
|
diese alte Frau
|
jedes alte Haus
|
the old
man
|
this old woman
|
each old house
|
|
Nominative:
|
ein alter Mann
|
seine alte Frau
|
kein altes Haus
|
Accusative:
|
*
|
seine alte Frau
|
kein altes Haus
|
an old
man
|
his old
wife
|
no old
house
|
With both kinds of determiners, the adjective ending is always -en in the masculine accusative and throughout the dative and genitive with feminine and neuter nouns. In the plural, all adjectives with these determiners have an -en ending. For example:
Singular
Accusative: jenen guten Mann * *
Dative: jenem guten Mann einer klugen Frau welchem neuen Haus
Genitive: jenes guten Mannes einer klugen Frau welches neuen Hauses
that good man a smart woman which new house
*(See above for feminine and neuter accusative forms.)
Plural
Nominative: seine alten Bücher
Accusative: seine alten Bücher
Dative: seinen alten Büchern
Genitive: seiner alten Bücher
his old books
The determiners alle (all) and beide (both) are exceptions. They are der-words but are only used in the plural. For example:
Nominative: alle alten Bücher beide
guten Kinder
Accusative: alle alten Bücher beide
guten Kinder
Dative: allen alten Büchern
beiden guten Kindern
Genitive: aller
alten Bücher beider guten Kinder
all old books both
good children
Unpreceded adjectives
There are times when a determiner does not precede an adjective. In such cases, the adjective will have the ending that would normally have been on an ein-word. This is true in both the singular and plural. Examples of unpreceded adjectives:
Nominative: kalter Kaffee kalte Suppe kaltes Eis kalte Finger
Accusative: kalten Kaffee kalte Suppe kaltes Eis kalte Finger
Dative: kaltem Kaffee kalter Suppe kaltem Eis kalten Fingern
Genitive: kalten Kaffees kalter Suppe kalten Eises kalter Finger
cold coffee cold soup cold ice cold fingers
Special mention must be made of three of the der-words: mancher, solcher, welcher. They can be used in two ways: (1) just like other der-words; and (2) in an undeclined form that requires the adjective that follows it to use the endings that are required with unpreceded adjectives. For example:
Nominative:
|
mancher gute Mann
|
manch guter Mann
|
Accusative:
|
manchen guten Mann
|
manch guten Mann
|
Dative:
|
manchem guten Mann
|
manch
gutem Mann
|
Genitive:
|
manches guten
Mannes
|
manch guten Mannes
|
many a good man
|
many a good man
|
Nominative:
|
welches
neue Auto
|
welch schöner Augenblick
|
Accusative:
|
welches
neue Auto
|
welch schönen Augenblick
|
Dative:
|
welchem neuen Auto
|
welch schönem Augenblick
|
Genitive:
|
welches neuen Autos
|
welch schönen Augenblicks
|
which new car
|
what a beautiful moment
|
However, solcher as a der-word tends to be used in the plural, and in the singular it follows
ein and is declined like an adjective:
Nominative:
|
solche alten Leute
|
eine
solche Bluse
|
Accusative:
|
solche alten Leute
|
eine
solche Bluse
|
Dative:
|
solchen alten Leuten
|
einer
solchen Bluse
|
Genitive:
|
solcher alten Leute
|
einer
solchen Bluse
|
such old people
|
such a blouse
|
Just like the usage of manch, solch, and welch illustrated above, there are other occasions
when an adjective requires the same endings as in the previous examples. They occur with etwas, mehr, viel, wenig, and with numbers, and can be used in both singular and plural phrases. For example:
etwas schwarzer Marmor some black marble
mehr interessante Bücher more interesting books
viel amerikanisches Geld much American money
wenig heiße Tage few hot days
The declension for such phrases follows the pattern illustrated by manch guter Mann, above.
Plural-only determiners
Certain determiners are used only in the plural. They identify quantities, and like the numbers cause adjectives to be declined like unpreceded adjectives. These determiners are einige, mehrere, viele, and wenige. You will notice that viele and wenige, although used in the same way as viel and wenig, decline, but the adjectives that follow viele and wenige still require the same endings as unpreceded adjectives. Some examples:
Certain determiners are used only in the plural. They identify quantities, and like the numbers cause adjectives to be declined like unpreceded adjectives. These determiners are einige, mehrere, viele, and wenige. You will notice that viele and wenige, although used in the same way as viel and wenig, decline, but the adjectives that follow viele and wenige still require the same endings as unpreceded adjectives. Some examples:
Nominative:
|
einige gute Kinder
|
viele neue Schulen
|
Accusative:
|
einige gute Kinder
|
viele neue Schulen
|
Dative:
|
einigen guten Kindern
|
vielen
neuen Schulen
|
Genitive:
|
einiger guter Kinder
|
vieler neuer Schulen
|
some good children
|
many new schools
|
Nominative:
|
mehrere gute Kinder
|
wenige neue Schulen
|
Accusative:
|
mehrere gute Kinder
|
wenige neue Schulen
|
Dative:
|
mehreren guten Kindern
|
wenigen
neuen Schulen
|
Genitive:
|
mehrerer guter Kinder
|
weniger neuer Schulen
|
several good
children
|
few new schools
|
Comparative and superlative
When comparing two people or things, the comparative form of an adjective is used. In general, a comparative is formed by adding -er to the adjective:
Positive Comparative
laut loud lauter louder
schnell fast schneller faster
interessant interesting interessanter more interesting
The conjunction als (than) can be added to make the comparison:
Dieser Wagen ist schneller als jener. This car is faster than that one.
Superlatives used as predicate adjectives are formed by preceding them with the prepositional phrase am (an dem) and adding the suffix -sten:
Positive Superlative
laut loud am lautesten the loudest
schnell fast am schnellsten the fastest
interessant interesting am interessantesten the most interesting
Many adjectives that have an a, o, or u (called umlaut vowels) in their base form will require an umlaut in the comparative and superlative:
Positive Comparative Superlative
alt old älter older am ältesten the oldest
groß big größer bigger am größten the biggest
jung young jünger younger am jüngsten the youngest
alt old älter older am ältesten the oldest
groß big größer bigger am größten the biggest
jung young jünger younger am jüngsten the youngest
When an adjective or adverb ends in -d, -t, -s,
-ss, -ß, or -z, the superlative suffix will be -esten.
For example:
am ältesten the oldest
am blödesten the most
idiotic
am kürzesten the shortest
Just as English has a few irregular forms in the comparative and superlative, so, too, does German.
Positive Comparative Superlative
bald
|
soon
|
eher
|
soonest
|
am ehesten
|
the soonest
|
groß
|
big
|
größer
|
bigger
|
am größten
|
the biggest
|
gut
|
good
|
besser
|
better
|
am besten
|
the best
|
hoch
|
high
|
höher
|
higher
|
am höchsten
|
the
highest
|
nah
|
near
|
näher
|
nearer
|
am nächsten
|
the nearest
|
Another spelling concern arises with adjectives that end in -el, -en, and -er. In the compara-tive the -e- is usually dropped:
dunkel
|
dark
|
dunkler
|
darker
|
trocken
|
dry
|
trockner
|
drier
|
teuer
|
expensive
|
teurer
|
more expensive
|
Comparatives and superlatives can be used in the same way as predicate adjectives:
Dieses Radio ist lauter als jenes. This radio is louder than that one.
Euer Radio ist am lautesten. Your radio is the loudest.
When a comparative or superlative adjective is used attributively, it requires the same kinds
of endings as other adjectives:
Nominative:
|
dieser längere Satz
|
this longer sentence
|
Accusative:
|
die kürzesten Briefe
|
the shortest letters
|
Dative:
|
einem größeren Problem
|
a
bigger problem
|
Genitive:
|
seiner besten Werke
|
his best works
|
Adjectives as nouns
Just about any adjective can be used as a noun in German. And when it is, it is capitalized, but it still functions as an adjective; that is, it still shows the appropriate number, gender, and case by its ending. For example:
Welcher Mann ist krank? Which man is sick?
Der Alte. The old (one, man).
Mit welcher Frau sprach er? What woman did he speak with?
Mit der Schönen. With the pretty (one, woman).
Here are some adjectives and participles that commonly function as nouns:
der Angestellte employee
der Bekannte acquaintance
der Deutsche German
der Erwachsene adult
der Fremde stranger
der Jugendliche youth
der Junge boy
der Reisende traveler
der Verletzte injured party
der Verwandte relative
Naturally, most nouns given above could be feminine or plural.
When adjectives are used as neuter nouns, they often express abstract ideas. For example:
Sie will das Beste, was Sie haben. She wants the best one you have.
Ich habe nichts Neues gehört. I haven’t heard anything new.
Sie will das Beste, was Sie haben. She wants the best one you have.
Ich habe nichts Neues gehört. I haven’t heard anything new.
Adjectives
![Adjectives]()
Reviewed by Admin
on
9:20:00 AM
Rating:
No comments: