German Adjective Agreement (Nominative)?
In nominative case, German adjectives must agree with the noun's gender, number, and article. Adjective endings change based on whether the article is definite (der/die/das), indefinite (ein/eine/ein), or absent.
German adjectives in nominative case change their endings to agree with the noun's gender and article type. Definite articles trigger endings like -e or -en, indefinite articles use -er/-e/-es, and bare nouns use strong endings.
- •der große Mann (-e)
- •die große Frau (-e)
- •das große Kind (-e)
- •die großen Kinder (-en)
- •ein großer Mann (-er)
- •eine große Frau (-e)
- •ein großes Kind (-es)
- •große Kinder (-en)
Step-by-step worked examples
Add the correct nominative adjective ending: 'der groß__ Mann'.
der = definite article, masculine With definite articles, most adjectives end in -e Answer: der große Mann
Add the correct nominative adjective ending: 'eine schön__ Frau'.
eine = indefinite article, feminine With ein-words in feminine, the adjective ends in -e Answer: eine schöne Frau
Add the correct nominative adjective ending: 'ein klein__ Kind'.
ein = indefinite article, neuter With ein-words in neuter nominative, the adjective ends in -es Answer: ein kleines Kind
Flashcards
Quick quiz
Q1.Fill the nominative adjective: 'der alt__ Freund' (old friend).
Q2.Fill the nominative adjective: 'ein neu__ Haus' (new house).
Q3.Which gender + article requires -er adjective ending?
Q4.Nominative plural with any article ends in…
The full card deck, worked steps and AI-tutor support for “German Adjective Agreement (Nominative)?” are in Notek — study by hand before your exam.
Common mistakes
Using the same adjective ending for all genders. — Correct: Adjective endings vary by gender and article. Compare: großer Mann, große Frau, großes Kind.
Forgetting that definite and indefinite articles trigger different endings. — Correct: Definite (der/die/das) → -e; indefinite masculine (ein) → -er; indefinite neuter → -es.
Ignoring plural nominative agreement. — Correct: Plural adjectives always end in -en regardless of gender: die großen Männer.
Assuming adjective agreement only matters in certain cases. — Correct: Adjectives must agree in ALL four cases (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive).
FAQ
What is nominative adjective agreement in German?
Adjectives in nominative case change endings to match the noun's gender and article. Definite articles mostly trigger -e, indefinite articles vary by gender.
Why do adjective endings change?
Endings show grammatical relationships. They mark gender, number, case, and article type, helping listeners/readers understand sentence structure.
Do all adjectives follow the same agreement pattern?
Yes, virtually all adjectives follow the nominative agreement table. A few color adjectives (rosa, beige) are invariable.
Does adjective agreement matter after 'ein' words?
Yes, and the endings differ from definite articles: ein + masculine nominative = -er (ein großer Mann), not -e.