🎓 Prepared by students from Boğaziçi University

German Adjective Agreement (Accusative)?

In accusative case, German adjectives must agree with the noun's gender and article type, just like nominative. The key difference: masculine nouns in accusative look the same as nominative with definite articles, but use weak endings with indefinite articles.

Short answer

German adjectives in accusative case agree with noun gender and article. Most accusative endings are -en or -e. With definite articles, masculine and neuter nominative/accusative look similar; feminine always uses -e.

Nominative vs. Accusative Adjective Endings

Nominative (Subject)

•Der große Mann (the big man)
•Eine schöne Frau (a beautiful woman)
•Das kleine Kind (the small child)

Accusative (Direct Object)

•Den großen Mann (the big man — object)
•Eine schöne Frau (unchanged)
•Das kleine Kind (unchanged)

Step-by-step worked examples

Fill the accusative adjective: 'Ich sehe den alt__ Freund' (I see the old friend).

Accusative direct object, definite article den (masculine)
With den, adjectives end in -en
Answer: Ich sehe den alten Freund

Fill the accusative adjective: 'Sie liebt eine schön__ Frau' (She loves a beautiful woman).

Accusative, indefinite feminine (eine)
With eine, feminine adjectives end in -e
Answer: Sie liebt eine schöne Frau

Fill the accusative adjective: 'Wir bauen ein neu__ Haus' (We build a new house).

Accusative, indefinite neuter (ein)
Neuter accusative is identical to nominative: -es
Answer: Wir bauen ein neues Haus

Flashcards

Quick quiz

Q1.Fill accusative: 'Ich sehe den jung__ Mann'.

Correct answer: C. Accusative masculine definite (den) → -en (Ich sehe den jungen Mann).

Q2.Fill accusative: 'Wir kaufen ein rot__ Auto'.

Correct answer: B. Accusative neuter indefinite (ein) → -es (Wir kaufen ein rotes Auto).

Q3.Which gender does NOT change between nominative and accusative adjective forms?

Correct answer: B. Feminine ends -e in both nominative and accusative.

Q4.Accusative plural, all genders, ends in…

Correct answer: B. Plural accusative always uses -en: die großen Männer/Frauen.

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Common mistakes

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Using nominative endings for accusative. — Correct: Accusative masculine changes: ein großer Mann (nom.) → einen großen Mann (acc.).

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Assuming all adjectives change in accusative. — Correct: Only masculine changes significantly. Feminine and neuter stay the same between nominative and accusative.

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Forgetting that articles change in accusative before adjectives do. — Correct: The article (den, einen, etc.) changes first; the adjective ending follows the new article's pattern.

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Thinking accusative only applies to direct objects. — Correct: Any noun in accusative case (direct object, certain prepositions like 'durch', 'für') triggers accusative agreement.

FAQ

What is accusative adjective agreement?

Accusative adjectives change endings to match the noun's gender and article. Most common ending is -en, especially for masculine and with definite articles.

How does accusative differ from nominative?

Masculine adjectives change: -er in nominative, -en in accusative. Feminine and neuter remain the same between nominative and accusative.

Why do masculine nouns show the biggest change?

The masculine article changes (der → den, ein → einen), and the adjective ending must agree with the new article form.

Do plural accusative adjectives follow the same rules?

Yes, plural accusative adjectives always end in -en regardless of gender: die großen Männer/Frauen/Kinder.