Adjective Endings after der, die and das
When an adjective stands between a definite article and its noun, it takes an ending — and after der, die and das there are only two to choose from: -e and -en.
Why adjectives suddenly take endings
So far your adjectives have mostly stood after the verb: Das Haus ist alt. In that position they never change. But the moment an adjective moves in front of its noun, German gives it an ending: das alte Haus. Every adjective before a noun carries an ending — there are no exceptions.
Here is the comforting part, and it is worth saying before any table: after the definite articles der, die and das, only two endings exist in the whole system, -e and -en. The article has already announced the gender and case, so the adjective can relax and take a "weak" ending.
In the nominative — the subject case — the singular always takes -e: der neue Kollege, die kleine Küche, das alte Rathaus. Only the plural switches to -en: die neuen Nachbarn. Four phrases, one pattern: memorise these and you have the whole first row.
Der neue Kollege ist sehr nett.
The new colleague is very nice.
Die kleine Küche hat ein Fenster.
The small kitchen has a window.
Das alte Rathaus ist wirklich schön.
The old town hall is really beautiful.
Die neuen Nachbarn sind freundlich.
The new neighbours are friendly.
Plural: the ending switches to -en.
The accusative: one change only
The accusative row copies the nominative almost exactly. Feminine, neuter and plural stay the same: Ich nehme die kleine Tasche. Wir besuchen das neue Museum. Only the masculine changes — and you can predict how, because the article itself already does it. Der becomes den, and the adjective follows along to -en: Ich finde den roten Mantel schön.
This mirrors what you learned at A1 about the accusative in general: masculine is the only gender that shows the case. Whenever you see or say den, let it drag the adjective with it — den roten Mantel, den ganzen Tag, den nächsten Bus.
So across nominative and accusative together, the rule of thumb is short: singular -e, plural -en, and masculine object -en.
Ich finde den roten Mantel schön.
I think the red coat is lovely.
Masculine direct object: den + -en.
Wir besuchen das neue Museum.
We are visiting the new museum.
Neuter object: no change, still -e.
Kennst du die nette Frau aus dem dritten Stock?
Do you know the nice woman from the third floor?
The dative: everything is -en
The dative could not be simpler: after dem, der and den (plural), every adjective takes -en. Masculine, feminine, neuter, plural — all -en, always. Seit Montag wohnen wir in der neuen Wohnung. Er fährt mit dem alten Fahrrad zur Arbeit.
This matters a great deal in practice, because the prepositions you use most — mit, bei, seit, von, zu, and the two-way prepositions in their wo-meaning — all trigger the dative. A large share of your location phrases will therefore end in -en: im dritten Stock, an der großen Kirche, neben dem kleinen Café.
If you ever hesitate, remember the shape of the whole system after der-words: five slots take -e (all nominative singular, plus feminine and neuter accusative), and every other slot takes -en. When in doubt in the dative, -en is always right.
Seit Montag wohnen wir in der neuen Wohnung.
We have been living in the new flat since Monday.
Er fährt mit dem alten Fahrrad zur Arbeit.
He rides the old bicycle to work.
Das Café liegt neben der großen Kirche.
The café is next to the big church.
dieser and jeder play by the same rules
The words dieser (this) and jeder (every) behave exactly like der: they show gender and case themselves, so the adjective after them takes the same weak -e or -en. Dieser blaue Pullover gefällt mir. Jeder kleine Laden in dieser Straße ist am Sonntag geschlossen. Learn one system, use it for the whole der-family.
Now put it to work where it actually appears: describing and choosing. In a shop you point — der blaue Pullover, die schwarzen Schuhe. In your neighbourhood you recommend — das kleine Restaurant an der Ecke ist am besten. In small talk you praise and complain — der neue Kollege, die laute Musik.
A good exercise: walk through your street in your head and attach one adjective to everything you pass, always with the definite article. Der alte Kiosk, die neue Bäckerei, das kleine Hotel. Two endings, endless descriptions.
Dieser blaue Pullover gefällt mir.
I like this blue jumper.
dieser works like der — the adjective still takes the weak -e.
Jeder kleine Laden in dieser Straße ist am Sonntag geschlossen.
Every small shop in this street is closed on Sundays.
Das kleine Restaurant an der Ecke ist am besten.
The little restaurant on the corner is the best.
Check yourself
Quick checks on this lesson. Get at least three quarters right to mark it as completed.
Fill in the gap
Die Wohnung ist sehr hell. (klein)
Hint: Feminine noun as the subject, after the definite article.
Practise what you learned