ADJECTIVES & ADVERBS part2(§10-§24)
SHORTCUT TO ADJECTIVES & ADVERBS part1(§1-§9)
§10 Definite and indefinite articles always come before the nouns they modify. Other
adjectives, however, may either precede or complement the nouns they modify — just
as in English.
preceding: the old gray mare
complementary: the mare is old and gray
When adjectives follow the nouns they modify, their form stays the same in German:
kalt: Das Wetter ist kalt.
schön: Die Autos waren sehr schön.
But when adjectives precede the nouns they modify, they carry endings according
kalt: Das Wetter ist kalt.
schön: Die Autos waren sehr schön.
But when adjectives precede the nouns they modify, they carry endings according
to the function of the nouns in the sentence. When the adjectives stand alone
in front of nouns, these endings correspond closely to the endings of the definite
article. The examples show nominative forms:
MASCULINE: der Wein kühler Wein
FEMININE: die Milch frische Milch
NEUTER: das Obst gutes Obst
PLURAL: die Kinder liebe Kinder
performed. (Der before Mann shows, for example, that the following noun is masculine
and nominative and singular.) When the adjective is a form of the indefinite article ein-,
however, it fails in three instances to indicate the function of the following noun:
MASCULINE NEUTER
NOMINATIVE ein ein
ACCUSATIVE ein
In these situations the adjective following ein takes over and says something about the
noun that follows according to the principle outlined in §10:
MASCULINE NEUTER
NOMINATIVE ein alter Mann ein altes Haus
ACCUSATIVE ein altes Haus
ACCUSATIVE eine alte Frau
for the nominative, dative, and accusative is
MASCULINE FEMININE NEUTER PLURAL
NOM ein_ alter Mann eine alte Frau ein_ liebes Kind meine lieben Kinder
DAT einem alten Mann einer alten Frau einem lieben Kind meinen lieben Kindern
ACC einen alten Mann eine alte Frau ein_ liebes Kind meine lieben Kinder
NOMINATIVE -er -e -es -en
GENITIVE -en -en -en -en
DATIVE -en -en -en -en
ACCUSATIVE -en -e -es -en
FEMININE: die Milch frische Milch
NEUTER: das Obst gutes Obst
PLURAL: die Kinder liebe Kinder
§11 One of the adjectives preceding a noun must indicate the function of that noun in the
sentence. When the adjective is a form of the definite article d-, that task has beenperformed. (Der before Mann shows, for example, that the following noun is masculine
and nominative and singular.) When the adjective is a form of the indefinite article ein-,
however, it fails in three instances to indicate the function of the following noun:
MASCULINE NEUTER
NOMINATIVE ein ein
ACCUSATIVE ein
In these situations the adjective following ein takes over and says something about the
noun that follows according to the principle outlined in §10:
MASCULINE NEUTER
NOMINATIVE ein alter Mann ein altes Haus
ACCUSATIVE ein altes Haus
§12 In the feminine the adjective following eine also carries the -e ending:
NOMINATIVE eine alte FrauACCUSATIVE eine alte Frau
§13 In all other situations the adjectives following variations of ein- and the other ein- words
(kein and the possessive pronouns) have the ending -en. The full paradigm of endingsfor the nominative, dative, and accusative is
MASCULINE FEMININE NEUTER PLURAL
NOM ein_ alter Mann eine alte Frau ein_ liebes Kind meine lieben Kinder
DAT einem alten Mann einer alten Frau einem lieben Kind meinen lieben Kindern
ACC einen alten Mann eine alte Frau ein_ liebes Kind meine lieben Kinder
§14 In the genitive case the endings on adjectives following ein- words are all -en:
eines alten Mannes einer alten Frau eines lieben Kindes meiner lieben Kinder
§15 SUMMARY: ENDINGS ON ADJECTIVES FOLLOWING EIN- WORDS
MASCULINE FEMININE NEUTER PLURALNOMINATIVE -er -e -es -en
GENITIVE -en -en -en -en
DATIVE -en -en -en -en
ACCUSATIVE -en -e -es -en
§16 Adjectives that follow the definite article take endings that are either -e or -en in the
nominative and accusative:
MASCULINE FEMININE NEUTER PLURAL
NOM. der alte Mann die alte Frau das alte Auto die alten Autos
ACC. den alten Mann die alte Frau das alte Auto die alten Autos
NOMINATIVE: -e Sind Sie der Nächste? Sind Sie die Nächste?
Montag ist der zehnte, Mittwoch der zwölfte.
Der andere Brief ist schwerer.
Die große Postkarte nach Kanada . . .
ACCUSATIVE: -en Für den zwölften haben wir noch Karten.
Geben Sie mir den ersten Brief.
PLURAL: -en Die beiden Briefe sind DM 4,60.
Für die beiden Pakete . . .
§17 Genitive and Dative adjectives after the definite article have an -en ending:
MASCULINE FEMININE NEUTER PLURAL
GEN. des alten Mannes der alten Frau des alten Autos der alten Autos
DAT. dem alten Mann der alten Frau dem alten Auto den alten Autos
Wir müssen schon am elften wegfahren.
. . . in der dritten Reihe
Die Fußgängerzone in der Hohen Straße . .
nominative and accusative:
MASCULINE FEMININE NEUTER PLURAL
NOM. der alte Mann die alte Frau das alte Auto die alten Autos
ACC. den alten Mann die alte Frau das alte Auto die alten Autos
NOMINATIVE: -e Sind Sie der Nächste? Sind Sie die Nächste?
Montag ist der zehnte, Mittwoch der zwölfte.
Der andere Brief ist schwerer.
Die große Postkarte nach Kanada . . .
ACCUSATIVE: -en Für den zwölften haben wir noch Karten.
Geben Sie mir den ersten Brief.
PLURAL: -en Die beiden Briefe sind DM 4,60.
Für die beiden Pakete . . .
§17 Genitive and Dative adjectives after the definite article have an -en ending:
MASCULINE FEMININE NEUTER PLURAL
GEN. des alten Mannes der alten Frau des alten Autos der alten Autos
DAT. dem alten Mann der alten Frau dem alten Auto den alten Autos
Wir müssen schon am elften wegfahren.
. . . in der dritten Reihe
Die Fußgängerzone in der Hohen Straße . .
§18 The adjectives welch- ‘which’ and dies- ‘this’ take endings that are identical to those of
the definite article. The adjectives that follow them are declined according to the
paradigms illustrated in §16 and §17.
Welcher Student war denn das?
— Ach, das war dieser junge Student aus den USA.
Wirklich? Was machen wir denn mit diesen amerikanischen Studenten?
— Welche meinen Sie denn? Die sind nicht alle so schlimm.
The same endings are used with jed- ‘every’ and solch- ‘such’.
§19 Once an adjective ending pattern has been established in a phrase, the endings on all
adjectives are the same:
ein böser alter Mann eine nette alte Frau ein liebes kleines Kind
mit einem großen, schweren, schwarzen Hammer
§20 An adjective may refer to a person without a following noun. In this case the adjective
itself becomes a noun, and is capitalized. Except in the plural, the form of the definite
article leaves no doubt about the gender of the person. The adjective maintains its
proper ending.
der alte Mann ⇒ der Alte die alte Frau ⇒ die Alte die alten Leute ⇒ die Alten
mit dem Alten ‘with the old man’
mit der Alten ‘with the old woman’
This is the origin of the word for ‘boy’, der Junge, literally ‘the young male’.
Note the similarity to English adjectival nouns: the old, the just, and so on.
The rain it raineth on the just
And also on the unjust fella.
But mostly on the just because
The unjust steals the just’s umbrella.
Reflecting on this crime, we also find neuter nouns made from adjectives:
das Böse = evil, that which is evil, the evil thing, etc.
das Gute = the good, that which is good, the good thing, etc.
Other common parallels are das Positive, das Negative, das Interessante.
§21 Adjectival nouns showing national identity follow the principle established in §20.
Although there are abundant examples of nouns of national origin such as der
Amerikaner, die Amerikanerin, many such nouns are really formed from adjectives and
thus must have adjective endings to reflect their gender and function within a sentence.
Identical to the pattern of der Junge, therefore, are der Deutsche and die Deutsche,
with datives
mit dem Deutschen (masc.) mit der Deutschen (fem.),
accusatives
für den Deutschen (masc.) für die Deutsche (fem.),
and plurals
die Deutschen mit den Deutschen für die Deutschen.
§22 Adjectives are frequently used to compare one thing to another, or to establish a
hierarchy including “standard” quality, the positive form, “better” quality, the
comparative form, and “best” quality, the superlative form.
§23 The positive form of an adjective is the form in which it appears in glossaries: gut, alt,
neurotisch, weitsichtig, and so on.
NOTE: When endings are added to hoch, the stem becomes hoh-.
§24 The comparative form of an adjective compares one thing to another, the equivalent of
English adjectival forms ending in ‘-er’ (‘higher’) or preceded by ‘more’ (‘more
interesting’). Of these two forms, German uses only the first: All adjectives form their
comparative by adding -er.
POSITIVE COMPARATIVE
schön schöner
weit weiter
interessant interessanter
NOTE: Although many speakers of English use the superlative (best, highest, etc.)
the definite article. The adjectives that follow them are declined according to the
paradigms illustrated in §16 and §17.
Welcher Student war denn das?
— Ach, das war dieser junge Student aus den USA.
Wirklich? Was machen wir denn mit diesen amerikanischen Studenten?
— Welche meinen Sie denn? Die sind nicht alle so schlimm.
The same endings are used with jed- ‘every’ and solch- ‘such’.
§19 Once an adjective ending pattern has been established in a phrase, the endings on all
adjectives are the same:
ein böser alter Mann eine nette alte Frau ein liebes kleines Kind
mit einem großen, schweren, schwarzen Hammer
§20 An adjective may refer to a person without a following noun. In this case the adjective
itself becomes a noun, and is capitalized. Except in the plural, the form of the definite
article leaves no doubt about the gender of the person. The adjective maintains its
proper ending.
der alte Mann ⇒ der Alte die alte Frau ⇒ die Alte die alten Leute ⇒ die Alten
mit dem Alten ‘with the old man’
mit der Alten ‘with the old woman’
This is the origin of the word for ‘boy’, der Junge, literally ‘the young male’.
Note the similarity to English adjectival nouns: the old, the just, and so on.
The rain it raineth on the just
And also on the unjust fella.
But mostly on the just because
The unjust steals the just’s umbrella.
Reflecting on this crime, we also find neuter nouns made from adjectives:
das Böse = evil, that which is evil, the evil thing, etc.
das Gute = the good, that which is good, the good thing, etc.
Other common parallels are das Positive, das Negative, das Interessante.
§21 Adjectival nouns showing national identity follow the principle established in §20.
Although there are abundant examples of nouns of national origin such as der
Amerikaner, die Amerikanerin, many such nouns are really formed from adjectives and
thus must have adjective endings to reflect their gender and function within a sentence.
Identical to the pattern of der Junge, therefore, are der Deutsche and die Deutsche,
with datives
mit dem Deutschen (masc.) mit der Deutschen (fem.),
accusatives
für den Deutschen (masc.) für die Deutsche (fem.),
and plurals
die Deutschen mit den Deutschen für die Deutschen.
§22 Adjectives are frequently used to compare one thing to another, or to establish a
hierarchy including “standard” quality, the positive form, “better” quality, the
comparative form, and “best” quality, the superlative form.
§23 The positive form of an adjective is the form in which it appears in glossaries: gut, alt,
neurotisch, weitsichtig, and so on.
NOTE: When endings are added to hoch, the stem becomes hoh-.
§24 The comparative form of an adjective compares one thing to another, the equivalent of
English adjectival forms ending in ‘-er’ (‘higher’) or preceded by ‘more’ (‘more
interesting’). Of these two forms, German uses only the first: All adjectives form their
comparative by adding -er.
POSITIVE COMPARATIVE
schön schöner
weit weiter
interessant interessanter
NOTE: Although many speakers of English use the superlative (best, highest, etc.)
to compare two things, German must use the comparative.
ADJECTIVES & ADVERBS part2(§10-§24)
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