23.2. Adjectives in German: Formation of the plural of adjectives

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In German, adjectives are used to describe or modify nouns and have a very specific inflection. Forming the plural of adjectives in German is an important topic that requires detailed attention for proper command of the language. This chapter of our e-book will focus on forming the plural of adjectives in German.

First, it's important to understand that in German, adjectives agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case. This is known as adjectival declension. In the plural, all nouns, regardless of gender, use the same ending for adjectives. However, the specific ending depends on the case (Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive) in which the adjective is used.

In the plural nominative case (the subject case), the ending for adjectives is usually "-en". For example, "die alten Häuser" (the old houses). In the accusative plural case (the direct object case), the ending is also "-en". For example, "Ich sehe die alten Häuser" (I see the old houses).

In the dative plural case (the indirect object case), the ending for adjectives is "-en". However, it's important to note that nouns also get an additional "-n" or "-en" in the dative plural case, unless they already end in "-n" or "-s". For example, "Ich gebe den alten Häusern etwas Zucker" (I give some sugar to old houses).

In the genitive plural case (the possessive case), the ending for adjectives is "-er". Also, nouns get an additional "-er". For example, "die Farbe der alten Häuser" (the color of old houses).

Also, in German we have what are known as weak declension and strong declension of adjectives. This refers to the fact that the endings of adjectives can change depending on whether the adjective is preceded by a definite article (der, die, das) or an indefinite article (ein, eine).

In the weak declension, when the adjective is preceded by a definite article, the endings of adjectives are usually "-en", regardless of case. For example, "die alten Häuser" (the old houses), "die alten Häuser" (the old houses), "den alten Häusern" (the old houses), "der alten Häuser" (the old houses).

In the strong declension, when the adjective is preceded by an indefinite article or no article, the endings of the adjectives vary. In the nominative and accusative plural case, the ending is "-e". In the dative and genitive plural case, the ending is "-en". For example, "alte Häuser" (old houses), "alte Häuser" (old houses), "alten Häusern" (old houses), "alter Häuser" (old houses).

In short, forming the plural of adjectives in German is a process that involves agreeing with the noun in gender, number, and case, and applying specific rules for weak and strong declension. While it may seem complex at first, with practice and repetition it becomes second nature. We hope this chapter will help you better understand the plural formation of adjectives in German and improve your language skills.

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8723.3. Adjectives in German: Adjective Comparison