The Accusative Case for Masculine Adjectives
In the previous lesson, you learned that adjectives take an -e ending after singular definite articles (der, die, das) in the nominative case—that is, when the noun is the subject of the sentence.
When a noun becomes the direct object of a sentence, it takes the accusative case. For feminine, neuter, and plural nouns, the definite articles and adjective endings stay exactly the same as in the nominative.
However, masculine nouns undergo a change. The masculine definite article der changes to den. Whenever an adjective sits between den and a masculine noun, the adjective takes the ending -en.
| Case | Article | Adjective Ending | Example |
|---|
| Nominative | der | -e | der weiche Stoff |
| Accusative | den | -en | den weichen Stoff |
Let's see this in action. The following examples use common materials and clothing items, which are masculine nouns in German. Notice how the adjectives all take the -en ending after den.
Describing Fits and Styles
This same -en ending applies when describing patterns, fits, or weights of masculine clothing items—like der Anzug (the suit), der Gürtel (the belt), or der Hut (the hat)—whenever they are the direct object.