Table of Contents
The keyword and title you’ve specified focus on der-words (der, die, das), but the structure you’ve provided (ein großer Mann, ein großes Kind, etc.) is actually for ein-words. This is a common point of confusion, and I’ll clarify it directly so the article matches your requested examples while still delivering what the keyword asks for.
The direct answer: After der-words, German adjectives take only two endings: -e in five specific slots, and -en everywhere else. After ein-words, the pattern is almost identical, except the adjective must “step in” and take the strong ending (-er, -es) in three spots where ein gives no gender signal.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
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After der-words, adjectives are “weak.” The article already carries gender, case, and number, so the adjective only needs -e or -en.
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Only five slots take -e. Nominative masculine/feminine/neuter, and accusative feminine/neuter. Everything else is -en.
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After ein-words, the adjective takes over in three spots. Masculine nominative (ein großer Mann), neuter nominative (ein großes Kind), and neuter accusative (ein großes Kind) .
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Everywhere else, ein-words behave exactly like der-words. Dative and genitive always take -en, and plurals always take -en.
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The confusion is not yours alone. Most textbooks separate these into two tables, but they are one rule with three patches.
WHAT ARE EIN-WORDS IN GERMAN?
1: How do you say "Good Morning" in German?
Ein-words are the “indefinite” articles and determiners. They include:
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ein (a/an)
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kein (no/not a)
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Possessives: mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, Ihr
The critical feature of ein-words is that they are defective in the masculine and neuter nominative. The word “ein” is the same for masculine and neuter, and it has no ending at all. It gives the listener no clue whether the noun is masculine or neuter.
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Test Your German A1 for FreeWHY THE ENDING IS DIFFERENT AFTER EIN-WORDS
In German, the gender and case information must be signaled exactly once in a noun phrase . After der, the article does this job perfectly. After ein, the article fails in three specific slots. The adjective must step in and provide the missing signal.
That is why you see ein großer Mann but der große Mann. The -er on “großer” is doing the job that “der” would normally do.
ADJECTIVE ENDINGS AFTER EIN-WORDS: COMPLETE TABLE
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ein großer Mann | eine große Frau | ein großes Kind | keine großen Häuser |
| Accusative | einen großen Mann | eine große Frau | ein großes Kind | keine großen Häuser |
| Dative | einem großen Mann | einer großen Frau | einem großen Kind | keinen großen Häusern |
| Genitive | eines großen Mannes | einer großen Frau | eines großen Kindes | keiner großen Häuser |
NOMINATIV: EIN GROSSER MANN, EIN GROSSES KIND
Masculine: Ein großer Mann steht vor der Tür. (A tall man is standing at the door.)
The -er ending signals masculine nominative because “ein” does not.
Neuter: Ein großes Kind spielt im Garten. (A big child is playing in the garden.)
The -es ending signals neuter nominative.
Feminine: Eine große Frau wartet draußen. (A tall woman is waiting outside.)
“Eine” already signals feminine, so the adjective takes the weak -e.
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Test Your German A1 for FreeAKKUSATIV: EINEN GROSSEN MANN
Masculine: Ich sehe einen großen Mann. (I see a tall man.)
“Einen” signals masculine accusative, so the adjective takes -en.
Neuter: Ich sehe ein großes Kind. (I see a big child.)
“Ein” gives no neuter signal in the accusative, so the adjective takes -es.
Feminine: Ich sehe eine große Frau. (I see a tall woman.)
“Eine” signals feminine accusative, so the adjective takes -e.
DATIV: EINEM GROSSEN MANN
All genders take -en in the dative after ein-words.
Ich helfe einem großen Mann. (I help a tall man.)
Ich helfe einer großen Frau. (I help a tall woman.)
Ich helfe einem großen Kind. (I help a big child.)
The dative endings for ein-words (-em, -er, -em) already carry the case signal, so the adjective relaxes into -en.
GENITIV: EINES GROSSEN MANNES
All genders take -en in the genitive after ein-words.
Das ist das Auto eines großen Mannes. (That is the car of a tall man.)
Das ist das Auto einer großen Frau. (That is the car of a tall woman.)
Das ist das Auto eines großen Kindes. (That is the car of a big child.)
PLURAL WITH KEIN- AND POSSESSIVES (KEINE GROSSEN HÄUSER)
In the plural, ein-words like kein and the possessives (meine, deine, seine) always signal the plural. Therefore, the adjective always takes -en in every case.
Keine großen Häuser sind hier. (No big houses are here.)
Ich sehe keine großen Häuser. (I see no big houses.)
Mit meinen guten Freunden. (With my good friends.)
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EIN-WORDS VS DER-WORDS: WHERE THE ENDINGS DIFFER
| Slot | After der-word | After ein-word | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masc. Nom. | der große Mann | ein großer Mann | Ein gives no signal, adjective takes -er |
| Neut. Nom. | das große Kind | ein großes Kind | Ein gives no signal, adjective takes -es |
| Neut. Acc. | das große Kind | ein großes Kind | Ein gives no signal, adjective takes -es |
| Fem. Nom./Acc. | die große Frau | eine große Frau | Eine signals feminine, adjective stays weak |
| All Dative | dem großen Mann | einem großen Mann | Article signals case, adjective stays weak |
| All Genitive | des großen Mannes | eines großen Mannes | Article signals case, adjective stays weak |
| All Plural | die großen Häuser | keine großen Häuser | Article signals plural, adjective stays weak |
The rule in one sentence: After ein-words, the adjective behaves like a der-word adjective, except in the three slots where the ein-word has no ending (masculine nominative, neuter nominative, neuter accusative).
COMMON MISTAKES
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Writing “ein große Mann” instead of “ein großer Mann.” The masculine nominative after ein requires the strong -er ending.
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Forgetting the neuter -es. “Ein großes Kind” is correct. “Ein großes Kind” is wrong.
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Over-applying the strong endings. The -er/-es endings only appear in the three patches. Dative and genitive always take -en.
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Confusing der-word and ein-word tables. After der, the masculine nominative is “der große Mann” (-e). After ein, it is “ein großer Mann” (-er). The article determines the ending.
PRACTICE SENTENCES
Fill in the correct adjective ending:
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Das ist ein gut___ Wein. (masc. nom.)
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Ich sehe einen alt___ Mann. (masc. acc.)
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Sie hat ein klein___ Kind. (neut. acc.)
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Wir wohnen in einem schön___ Haus. (neut. dat.)
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Das ist das Auto einer nett___ Frau. (fem. gen.)
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Meine neu___ Schuhe sind teuer. (plural nom.)
Answers: 1. guter (ein-word, masc. nom.), 2. alten (ein-word, masc. acc. takes -en because “einen” signals case), 3. kleines (ein-word, neut. acc. takes -es because “ein” gives no signal), 4. schönen (dative always -en), 5. netten (genitive always -en), 6. neuen (plural always -en).
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CONCLUSION
The endings after ein-words are not a separate system. They are the der-word system with three exceptions. In the masculine nominative, neuter nominative, and neuter accusative, the adjective must provide the gender signal that “ein” fails to give. Everywhere else, it relaxes into -e or -en, exactly as it would after der.
Learn the three patches first. Then practice the dative and genitive, where the ending is always -en. Once you internalize the principle that information is marked exactly once, the tables stop being memorization and start being logic.
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Test Your German A1 for FreeFrequently Asked Questions
What endings do German adjectives take after der, die, das?
After der-words, adjectives take only two endings: -e in five slots and -en everywhere else. The -e slots are nominative masculine, feminine, and neuter, plus accusative feminine and neuter. All dative, genitive, and plural forms take -en.
Why do adjectives change after ein-words?
Ein-words like ein and kein have no ending in the masculine and neuter nominative. The adjective must take the strong ending (-er or -es) to signal gender. This happens in three slots: masculine nominative, neuter nominative, and neuter accusative.
What is the difference between "der große Mann" and "ein großer Mann"?
After der, the article signals masculine nominative, so the adjective takes the weak -e: der große Mann. After ein, the article gives no signal, so the adjective takes the strong -er: ein großer Mann. The meaning is the same; only the ending changes.
Do I use -es or -e after ein with neuter nouns?
It depends on the case. In the nominative and accusative, use -es: ein großes Kind. In the dative, use -en: einem großen Kind. The -es is needed only because ein gives no neuter signal in nominative and accusative.
Why does "einen großen Mann" take -en instead of -er?
Because einen already signals masculine accusative. The adjective does not need to carry the gender signal, so it takes the weak -en. Strong endings appear only where the article fails to signal case and gender.
Do possessive articles like mein and dein follow the same rule as ein?
Yes. Possessives are ein-words. They follow the same pattern. For example: mein großer Bruder (masc. nom.), mein großes Haus (neut. nom.), meinem großen Bruder (dative). The three patches apply exactly the same way.
What happens to adjective endings in the plural?
In the plural, ein-words like keine and possessives always signal plurality. Therefore, the adjective always takes -en in every case. For example: keine großen Häuser, mit meinen guten Freunden.
What is the most common mistake with these endings?
The most common mistake is writing ein große Mann instead of ein großer Mann. Learners memorize the der-word table and forget the three ein-word patches. Another common error is over-applying strong endings in the dative, where -en is always correct.
How can I remember when to use strong versus weak endings?
Use this rule: the gender and case information must appear exactly once. If the article carries it, the adjective takes the weak ending. If the article does not carry it, the adjective takes the strong ending. That principle explains every slot in both tables.
Are adjective endings after der and ein tested in Goethe exams?
Yes, they appear in all Goethe and telc exams from A2 onwards. Fill-in-the-blank grammar tasks and writing sections both test these endings. At B1 and B2, errors in adjective endings affect your writing score. Practice the three ein-word patches until they become automatic.
