Lesson 5 of your German course
B1.2 · Grammar · ~20 minutes
Lesson 3 covered how articles change in the accusative (der → den). Adjectives placed in front of a noun carry their own ending too — and that ending depends on what, if anything, comes before the adjective: a der-word, an ein-word, or nothing at all. This is the source of errors like letzten Samstag, einen neuen Termin — the rule is known, but which ending to reach for isn't automatic yet.
The article already shows the case, so the adjective ending is minimal.
Ein-words don't mark masculine nominative or neuter, so the adjective picks up the slack there.
With nothing in front, the adjective alone has to signal gender and case — it behaves like a der-word.
Accusative singular only — this is where your errors cluster:
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| after der-word | den neuen | die neue | das alte |
| after ein-word | einen neuen | eine nette | ein kaputtes |
| no article | frischen (Kaffee) | frische (Milch) | kaltes (Wasser) |
Plural, no article, also stays simple — it takes -e in both nominative and accusative, same as the article die doesn't change:
Each sentence is accusative. Decide what precedes the adjective (der-word, ein-word, or nothing), then pick the ending.