Predicate Adjectives (Das Haus ist groß)
Welcome to the first lesson in your journey through German adjectives! Before tackling the complex world of adjective endings, we start with the simplest and most reassuring fact about German adjectives: when an adjective comes after the verb (in the predicate position), it takes no ending at all. This lesson builds a strong vocabulary foundation and teaches you the most common patterns for describing things in German.
What Is a Predicate Adjective?
A predicate adjective is one that appears after a linking verb like sein (to be), werden (to become), bleiben (to remain), aussehen (to look/appear), or scheinen (to seem):
| Sentence | Adjective | Position |
|---|
| Das Haus ist groß. | groß | After the verb (predicate) |
| Der Film war langweilig. | langweilig | After the verb (predicate) |
| Das Essen wird kalt. | kalt | After the verb (predicate) |
| Sie sieht müde aus. | müde | After the verb (predicate) |
Key rule: In the predicate position, the adjective has no ending. It does not change for gender, case, or number. This is unlike the attributive position (before the noun), where endings are required.
Predicate vs Attributive Position
| Position | Rule | Example |
|---|
| Predicate (after verb) | No ending | Das Haus ist groß. |
| Attributive (before noun) | Ending required | Das große Haus. |
This distinction is crucial. For now, we focus exclusively on predicate adjectives.
Common Linking Verbs
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|
| sein | to be | Der Himmel ist blau. (The sky is blue.) |
| werden | to become | Es wird dunkel. (It is getting dark.) |
| bleiben | to remain | Das Wetter bleibt schön. (The weather stays nice.) |
| aussehen | to look/appear | Du siehst müde aus. (You look tired.) |
| scheinen | to seem | Er scheint nett. (He seems nice.) |
| sich fühlen | to feel | Ich fühle mich krank. (I feel sick.) |
| wirken | to appear/seem | Sie wirkt nervös. (She appears nervous.) |
| schmecken | to taste | Die Suppe schmeckt gut. (The soup tastes good.) |
| riechen | to smell | Die Blumen riechen wunderbar. (The flowers smell wonderful.) |
| klingen | to sound | Das klingt interessant. (That sounds interesting.) |
Essential German Adjectives: Opposites
Learning adjectives in pairs of opposites is one of the most effective vocabulary strategies:
Size and Dimension
| German | English | Opposite | English |
|---|
| groß | big / tall | klein | small / short |
| lang | long | kurz | short |
| breit | wide | schmal / eng | narrow |
| hoch | high / tall | niedrig / tief | low / deep |
| dick | thick / fat | dünn | thin |
| schwer | heavy | leicht | light |
Temperature and Weather
| German | English | Opposite | English |
|---|
| heiß | hot | kalt | cold |
| warm | warm | kühl | cool |
| trocken | dry | nass / feucht | wet / damp |
| sonnig | sunny | bewölkt | cloudy |
| windig | windy | windstill | calm (no wind) |
Qualities
| German | English | Opposite | English |
|---|
| gut | good | schlecht | bad |
| schön | beautiful / nice | hässlich | ugly |
| neu | new | alt | old |
| jung | young | alt | old |
| schnell | fast | langsam | slow |
| laut | loud | leise | quiet |
| hart | hard | weich | soft |
| hell | bright / light | dunkel | dark |
| sauber | clean | schmutzig | dirty |
| einfach | easy / simple | schwierig / schwer | difficult / hard |
| billig / günstig | cheap / affordable | teuer | expensive |
| richtig | right / correct | falsch | wrong / false |
Emotions and States
| German | English | Opposite | English |
|---|
| glücklich | happy | traurig | sad |
| froh | glad / happy | unglücklich | unhappy |
| ruhig | calm | nervös / aufgeregt | nervous / excited |
| müde | tired | wach / munter | awake / alert |
| gesund | healthy | krank | sick |
| hungrig | hungry | satt | full (not hungry) |
| durstig | thirsty | — | — |
| zufrieden | satisfied / content | unzufrieden | dissatisfied |
Common Sentence Patterns
Pattern 1: Subject + sein + Adjective
| German | English |
|---|
| Der Kaffee ist heiß. | The coffee is hot. |
| Die Kinder sind müde. | The children are tired. |
| Das Buch war interessant. | The book was interesting. |
| Mein Bruder ist groß. | My brother is tall. |
| Die Straßen sind nass. | The streets are wet. |
Pattern 2: Subject + werden + Adjective
| German | English |
|---|
| Es wird kalt. | It is getting cold. |
| Die Tage werden kürzer. | The days are getting shorter. |
| Er wird immer besser. | He is getting better and better. |
| Das Wetter wird schlechter. | The weather is getting worse. |
Pattern 3: Subject + aussehen/scheinen/wirken + Adjective
| German | English |
|---|
| Du siehst gut aus. | You look good. |
| Das scheint richtig. | That seems right. |
| Sie wirkt nervös. | She seems nervous. |
| Er sieht krank aus. | He looks sick. |
Pattern 4: Subject + sense verb + Adjective
| German | English |
|---|
| Die Musik klingt schön. | The music sounds beautiful. |
| Das Essen schmeckt lecker. | The food tastes delicious. |
| Die Blumen riechen gut. | The flowers smell good. |
| Das Bett fühlt sich weich an. | The bed feels soft. |
Negation with nicht
To negate a predicate adjective, place nicht before the adjective:
| Positive | Negative |
|---|
| Das Essen ist gut. | Das Essen ist nicht gut. |
| Der Film war lang. | Der Film war nicht lang. |
| Die Aufgabe ist schwer. | Die Aufgabe ist nicht schwer. |
The un- Prefix
Many German adjectives can be negated by adding the prefix un-:
| Adjective | With un- | Meaning |
|---|
| glücklich (happy) | unglücklich | unhappy |
| freundlich (friendly) | unfreundlich | unfriendly |
| möglich (possible) | unmöglich | impossible |
| zufrieden (satisfied) | unzufrieden | dissatisfied |
| bekannt (known) | unbekannt | unknown |
| sicher (safe/certain) | unsicher | unsafe/uncertain |
| wichtig (important) | unwichtig | unimportant |
| höflich (polite) | unhöflich | impolite |
Intensifiers and Modifiers
You can modify predicate adjectives with adverbs:
| Modifier | Meaning | Example |
|---|
| sehr | very | Das ist sehr gut. |
| ziemlich | quite/fairly | Es ist ziemlich kalt. |
| wirklich | really | Das Buch ist wirklich interessant. |
| besonders | especially | Sie ist besonders fleißig. |
| total / völlig | totally | Ich bin total müde. |
| ein bisschen | a little | Das ist ein bisschen schwierig. |
| gar nicht | not at all | Das ist gar nicht lustig. |
| überhaupt nicht | not at all | Ich bin überhaupt nicht müde. |
Common Mistakes
- Adding an ending to predicate adjectives: Das Haus ist großes. → WRONG. Correct: Das Haus ist groß.
- Confusing groß and hoch: groß is for people and general size; hoch is for height of buildings, mountains, and abstract concepts (prices, temperatures). Der Berg ist hoch. Der Mann ist groß.
- Mixing up schwer meanings: schwer can mean both "heavy" and "difficult" depending on context. Der Koffer ist schwer. (heavy) / Die Prüfung ist schwer. (difficult)
Summary
Predicate adjectives in German come after a linking verb and take no ending. This makes them the simplest form of adjectives to use. Common linking verbs include sein, werden, bleiben, aussehen, scheinen, and sense verbs like schmecken, riechen, and klingen. Learn adjectives in opposite pairs for efficient vocabulary building. Use nicht or the un- prefix for negation, and adverbs like sehr, ziemlich, and wirklich for emphasis. In the next lesson, we begin tackling adjective endings in the nominative case.