Adjectives describe living beings, things or situations. They are often used with the verb sein. The adjective usually comes after the conjugated form of the verb sein.
| Subject | sein (conjugated) | adjektive |
| Die Schränke | sind | voll. |
Many adjectives have an opposite, e.g.:
Kauf dich klug. – Kauf dich dumm.
Die Schränke sind voll. – Du fühlst dich leer.
Das Top ist billig. – Die Jacke ist teuer.
It is often a good idea to learn adjectives in pairs. Adjectives are written in lowercase.
Using adjectives
Adjectives are not modified if they follow the noun or personal pronoun they describe (nor if they come at the beginning of the sentence directly before the conjugated verb):
Der Pullover ist neu. (or: Neu ist der Pullover.)
An adjective can also stand directly before the noun it describes. Then the ending of the adjective is changed and adapted to the following noun:
Die Frau trägt einen neuen Pullover.
This modification of the adjective is called adjective declension. There are three different declensions. The declension you use depends on the article that precedes the noun: indefinite article, definite article, or no article.
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Grammatical terms in German: das Adjektiv: Adjectives are words that describe living beings, things or situations. |