Position of Adjectives in German

This section explains the position of adjectives in German and includes tips for students studying foundation and higher tiers.

Introduction to the Position of Adjectives in German

In German, the position of adjectives is important because it affects their form and how they relate to the noun they modify. Adjectives can appear in two main positions:

Attributive Position – When the adjective is placed directly before the noun.

Predicative Position – When the adjective follows a linking verb (e.g., sein, werden, bleiben).

This guide explains both positions in detail, with examples for both foundation and higher-tier students.

Attributive Adjectives

In German, when adjectives come before a noun (attributive position), they agree with the noun in terms of gender, case, and number. The endings of the adjectives change depending on these factors.

Example of Attributive Position:

• Der große Hund schläft. = The big dog is sleeping. (Masculine, nominative)
• Die schöne Blume ist rot. = The beautiful flower is red. (Feminine, nominative)
• Das neue Auto ist teuer. = The new car is expensive. (Neuter, nominative)
• Die netten Kinder spielen. = The nice children are playing. (Plural, nominative)

Declension of Attributive Adjectives:

The adjective endings in the attributive position depend on the article (definite or indefinite) used with the noun.

Examples with Definite Articles:

• Der alte Mann arbeitet. = The old man is working. (Masculine, nominative)
• Die junge Frau läuft. = The young woman is walking. (Feminine, nominative)
• Das blaue Hemd ist schön. = The blue shirt is nice. (Neuter, nominative)
• Die schnellen Autos sind teuer. = The fast cars are expensive. (Plural, nominative)

Examples with Indefinite Articles:

• Ein schöner Tag. = A beautiful day. (Masculine, nominative)
• Eine nette Katze. = A nice cat. (Feminine, nominative)
• Ein neues Fahrrad. = A new bicycle. (Neuter, nominative)
• Einige interessante Bücher. = Some interesting books. (Plural, nominative)

Examples with No Article:

• Große Hunde sind freundlich. = Big dogs are friendly. (Plural, nominative)
• Schöne Blumen wachsen im Garten. = Beautiful flowers grow in the garden. (Plural, nominative)

Predicative Adjectives

When adjectives are used after a linking verb (such as sein – to be, werden – to become, or bleiben – to stay), they are in the predicative position. In this case, the adjective does not change based on the gender, case, or number of the noun. The adjective always remains in its basic form (the positive form).

Examples of Predicative Position:

• Der Hund ist groß. = The dog is big. (Masculine)
• Die Blume ist schön. = The flower is beautiful. (Feminine)
• Das Auto ist neu. = The car is new. (Neuter)
• Die Kinder sind nett. = The children are nice. (Plural)

Notice that in predicative position, there are no adjective endings like in the attributive position.

Comparing Attributive and Predicative Adjectives

Adjective Position with Multiple Adjectives

In German, when you use multiple adjectives before a noun (in attributive position), the adjectives are usually separated by commas, and each adjective must agree with the noun in terms of case, gender, and number.

Examples:

• Der alte, schwarze Hund schläft. = The old, black dog is sleeping. (Masculine, nominative)
• Ich habe eine kleine, süße Katze. = I have a small, sweet cat. (Feminine, accusative)
• Sie fährt ein neues, rotes Auto. = She drives a new, red car. (Neuter, accusative)
• Die großen, schnellen Autos sind teuer. = The big, fast cars are expensive. (Plural, nominative)

In this case, each adjective still agrees with the noun based on gender, case, and number.

Higher Tier: More Complex Sentences with Adjective Position

In more complex sentences, you may need to combine attributive and predicative adjectives, use comparative or superlative forms, or use adjectives with different noun cases.

• Attributive: Der große Hund, der im Garten läuft, ist freundlich. = The big dog, which is running in the garden, is friendly.
• Predicative: Der Hund ist größer als der andere. = The dog is bigger than the other one. (Comparative form)
• Superlative: Das ist der größte Hund. = This is the biggest dog. (Superlative form)

When using comparative and superlative forms, the adjective still stays in the predicative form, even in complex sentences.

Key Vocabulary:

• Attributive Adjective = Adjective before noun (e.g., der große Hund)
• Predicative Adjective = Adjective after linking verb (e.g., der Hund ist groß)
• Nominative = Subject form
• Accusative = Object form
• Dative = Indirect object form

Summary

• Attributive Adjectives: Come before the noun and must agree in gender, case, and number with the noun they modify. Adjective endings depend on the article used.
• Predicative Adjectives: Follow a linking verb and do not change according to gender, case, or number. They remain in their basic (positive) form.
• Multiple Adjectives: When using multiple adjectives before a noun, each adjective must agree with the noun and be separated by commas.
• Higher-Tier Usage: You can combine attributive and predicative adjectives, use comparatives and superlatives, and apply more complex sentence structures.

By understanding the different positions of adjectives, you can effectively describe things and people in German, using a wide range of adjectives and grammatical structures.