Strong, Weak, and Mixed Declension Patterns

You have now seen adjective endings in all four cases. This lesson consolidates your knowledge by examining the logic behind the three declension patterns, providing comprehensive reference tables, and giving you strategies for choosing the right ending quickly and confidently.

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The Fundamental Principle

German requires that the gender, number, and case of a noun be signalled clearly. This signal can come from:

1. The article (definite, indefinite, possessive, etc.)
2. The adjective ending
3. Both (some redundancy is built into the system)

The key insight:

When the article clearly shows gender/case, the adjective relaxes with a weak ending (-e or -en). When the article is ambiguous or absent, the adjective steps up with a strong ending that carries the signal itself.

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Weak Declension: After der-Words

Used after: der, die, das, die (plural) and other der-words (dieser, jeder, jener, welcher, alle, beide, sämtliche, solche, mancher).