Strong Adjective Declension (No Article)
When no article precedes the adjective, it takes strong endings that mirror the definite article — carrying the gender and case signal itself.
Overview
In German, adjectives before nouns always need an ending. When a definite article (der, die, das) comes first, it already signals the gender and case, so the adjective takes "weak" (minimal) endings. But when there is no article at all, the adjective must do the signaling itself. These are called strong endings, and they closely mirror the definite article forms.
The core principle: the adjective does the article's job. It carries the gender/case marker that would otherwise come from the article.
When Does This Happen?
Strong adjective endings appear in these situations:
- With uncountable nouns (no article): frischer Salat, kalte Milch, deutsches Bier
- After numbers (zwei, drei...): zwei kalte Bier, drei große Häuser
- After uninflected quantity words: viel frisches Obst, wenig kaltes Wasser, etwas warme Suppe
- After certain uninflected pronouns: manch guter Rat, solch schönes Wetter, welch großer Unterschied
- In lists without articles: mit Salz, Pfeffer und frischem Basilikum
- On signs, labels, and headings: Deutscher Weißwein, Frisches Brot
Strong Nominative
In the nominative (subject position), strong endings directly match the definite article endings:
| Gender | Article Signal | Strong Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der → | -er | kalter Kaffee — cold coffee |
| Feminine | die → | -e | kalte Milch — cold milk |
| Neuter | das → | -es | kaltes Wasser — cold water |
| Plural | die → | -e | frische Brötchen — fresh rolls |
Examples in Sentences
Kalter Kaffee schmeckt im Sommer gut. — Cold coffee tastes good in summer.
Frische Luft tut immer gut. — Fresh air always does good.
Deutsches Bier ist weltberühmt. — German beer is world-famous.
Zwei große Hunde spielen im Park. — Two big dogs are playing in the park.
Strong Accusative
In the accusative (direct object), only masculine changes — it shifts to -en, just as "der" becomes "den":
| Gender | Article Signal | Strong Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | den → | -en | schwarzen Tee — black tea |
| Feminine | die → | -e | kalte Milch — cold milk |
| Neuter | das → | -es | kaltes Bier — cold beer |
| Plural | die → | -e | frische Eier — fresh eggs |
Examples in Sentences
Ich trinke gern schwarzen Tee. — I like to drink black tea.
Möchtest du kalte Milch? — Would you like cold milk?
Er bestellt dunkles Brot. — He orders dark bread.
Wir kaufen frische Eier auf dem Markt. — We buy fresh eggs at the market.
Strong Dative
In the dative, strong endings again mirror the article forms (dem → -em, der → -er), and plural adds -en:
| Gender | Article Signal | Strong Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | dem → | -em | mit deutschem Käse — with German cheese |
| Feminine | der → | -er | mit kalter Milch — with cold milk |
| Neuter | dem → | -em | mit frischem Gemüse — with fresh vegetables |
| Plural | den → | -en | mit guten Freunden — with good friends |
Examples in Sentences
Die Pizza wird mit frischem Basilikum serviert. — The pizza is served with fresh basil.
Er kocht mit heißer Butter. — He cooks with hot butter.
Aus reinem Gold gemacht. — Made of pure gold.
Bei schlechten Verhältnissen bleiben wir zu Hause. — In bad conditions we stay home.
Comparison Table: Strong vs. Weak vs. Mixed
Here is a quick summary comparing all three adjective declension types in the nominative:
| Gender | Strong (no article) | Mixed (ein, kein, mein...) | Weak (der, die, das) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masc. Nom. | kalter Kaffee | ein kalter Kaffee | der kalte Kaffee |
| Fem. Nom. | kalte Milch | eine kalte Milch | die kalte Milch |
| Neut. Nom. | kaltes Wasser | ein kaltes Wasser | das kalte Wasser |
| Pl. Nom. | kalte Tage | keine kalten Tage | die kalten Tage |
Key observation: Strong and mixed endings are identical in nominative masculine (-er), nominative/accusative feminine (-e), and nominative/accusative neuter (-es). They differ in the plural and in cases where "ein" has no ending (ein kalter Kaffee vs. der kalte Kaffee).
The Pattern Across All Cases
| Case | Masc. | Fem. | Neut. | Pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| Akk. | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| Dat. | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| Gen. | -en | -er | -en | -er |
Notice: these are exactly the definite article endings (der, die, das, den, dem, des) compressed into adjective suffixes.
Tips
- Think "the adjective does the article's job." When there is no article, the adjective itself must signal gender and case — so it gets a strong, article-like ending.
- The strong endings mirror the definite articles. If you know der/die/das/den/dem, you already know the strong adjective endings: -er/-e/-es/-en/-em.
- Only masculine accusative changes from the nominative — just like der→den, it becomes -er→-en.
- Dative is the most distinctive case with -em (m/n) and -er (f) — these endings are unmistakable signals.
- Watch for "hidden" strong contexts: After numbers, after viel/wenig/etwas, in lists — any time the article is absent.
- When in doubt, ask: "Is there an article doing the signaling?" If no → strong endings. If ein-word → mixed. If der-word → weak.