4.10 Adjective endings I — after the definite article (weak) — Epoché
What you will be able to do Write the weak adjective endings, used after der, die, das and words like dieser , from memory: only -e and -en . Find the five cells that take -e and know that every other cell takes -en . Explain why two endings are enough here: the article has already shown the case. Tell the adjective before a noun, which takes an ending, from the adjective after sein , which takes none. Sentences from this lesson, before the explanation. Read the German aloud; all of them come back below. German English Sein Gesicht hellte sich auf. [1] His face brightened. Die Lehrerin begrüßte die neuen Schüler. [2] The teacher welcomed the new students. Er betrat plötzlich das Zimmer. [3] He suddenly entered the room. Bist du mit deinem neuen Auto nicht glücklich? [4] Aren't you happy with your new car? Er begrüßte die Dame. [5] He greeted the lady. Ich habe zwei rote Fische. [6] I have two red fish. Ich habe einen großen Bruder und eine kleine Schwester. [7] I have an older brother and a younger sister. Prerequisites : 4.9 — you need the full article table from 4.2 Cases and the four cases in all their uses from 4.3 Cases to 4.9 Cases . English adjectives never change: the old man , to the old man , the old men . German adjectives take endings when they stand before a noun, and the endings depend on the case, the gender, the number and on which word comes before the adjective. That sounds like a large table, and there are in fact three tables. This lesson starts with the simplest, which has only two endings. The next lesson adds the other two and shows one principle behind all three. Table After the definite article, the adjective takes the weak endings. The name is traditional; it means that the adjective does less work because the article does more. Case Masculine Feminine Neuter Plural Nominative der alte Mann die alte Frau das alte Haus die alten Leute Accusative den alten Mann die alte Frau das alte Haus die alten Leute Dative dem alten Mann der alten Frau dem alten Haus den alten Leuten Genitive des alten Mannes der alten Frau des alten Hauses der alten Leute How to read the endings Five cells take -e ; eleven take -en . The five -e cells are the three nominative singulars and the feminine and neuter accusative. If you draw a line around them on the table, they make the shape of a boot or an upside-down L: the whole first row except the plural, plus two cells below it. Everything outside that line is -en . A quicker way to remember the five: they are exactly the singular cells in which the article keeps its nominative form — der for a masculine, die for a feminine, das for a neuter — the forms you learned first, before any case changes. Wherever the article has changed from its dictionary form, or the noun is plural, the adjective ends in -en . Why only two endings? Look at the articles in the table. den , dem and des show the case and gender of the noun clearly. Once the article has done that, there is nothing left for the adjective to signal, so it uses a neutral, all-purpose ending. German grammar is economical here: the information is given once, by the first word in the phrase that can carry it. You will see in the next lesson that when the article cannot carry it, the adjective takes over. The same endings after dieser and its family. The words that end like the definite article — dieser this , jener that , jeder every , welcher which , and alle all in the plural — are followed by the same weak endings, because they show the case just as clearly. In real sentences Nominative. German English Der alte Mann sitzt. [8] The old man is sitting. Die junge Frau seufzte. [9] The young woman sighed. Das kleine Mädchen betrat das Zimmer. [10] The little girl entered the room. Accusative. Only the masculine changes, and the plural keeps -en . German English Ich mag den neuen Plan nicht. [11] I don't like the new plan. Er liebt das neue Haus. [12] He loves the new house. Der Lehrer begrüßte die neuen Schüler. [13] The teacher welcomed the new students. Dative and genitive. All -en . German English Er überließ seinen Platz dem alten Mann. [14] He gave his seat to the old man. Sie saßen unter dem alten Baum. [15] They sat under the old tree. Wer ist die Frau mit dem roten Hut? [16] Who's the woman with the red hat? Das Gesicht des alten Mannes hellte sich plötzlich auf. [17] The old man's face brightened suddenly. After dieser . German English Dieses alte Gebäude ist schön. [18] This old building is beautiful. With the noun left out. When the noun is understood, the adjective keeps its ending and stands alone, where English adds one or ones . German English Welches Hemd ist dir lieber, das rote oder das blaue? [19] Which shirt do you like better, the red one or the blue one? Die großen Fische fressen die kleinen. [20] The big fish eat the small ones. No ending after sein All of this applies only to an adjective that stands before its noun. An adjective that comes after sein , werden or bleiben , describing the subject, takes no ending at all. You have used this form since the first phase. German English Der Mann ist alt. [21] The man is old. Der Mann ist alt , but der alte Mann . An adjective before its noun needs an ending; after sein it takes none. How English does it English once had these endings too. Old English had the same two sets of adjective endings as German, and used them in the same way. After the definite article the adjective took weak endings, mostly -a and -an ; without an article it took strong endings, similar to the article's own. Se gōda cyning was the good king , with the weak ending -a , just like German der gute König . As English lost its unstressed final syllables, all of these endings merged and then disappeared, and by Chaucer's time only a final -e was left, which soon fell silent too. English uses one where German uses the ending. When the noun is left out, English needs a placeholder: the red one or the blue one , the big fish eat the small ones . German ne