Predicative Adjectives - No Ending

In English, we say "The car is fast." Notice how "fast" stays the same whether the car is big, small, or plural. German works exactly the same way in this specific structure. The adjective acts as a bridge. It connects to the subject through a linking verb. These verbs act like an equals sign (=). If you say Der Mann ist groß, you are saying Man = Tall. Because the adjective is separated from the noun by the verb, it loses its power to change. It stays in its dictionary form. This applies to all genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. It also applies to plural subjects. Whether you are talking about one pizza or ten pizzas, if they are lecker, they are just lecker. No extra letters are invited to this party.

1. 1Creating these sentences is a simple three-step process.
2. 2Start with your subject (the person or thing you are describing).
3. 3Add a linking verb (usually sein, werden, or bleiben).
4. 4Put the base adjective at the end of the phrase.
5. 5Let's look at a real-world example. Imagine you are at a restaurant. You want to tell the waiter the soup is cold.
6. 6Subject: Die Suppe (The soup)
7. 7Verb: ist (is)
8. 8Adjective: kalt (cold)
9. 9Result: Die Suppe ist kalt.
10. 10See? No endings! Even though Suppe is feminine, we do not say kalte. We keep it simple. It is like a grammar traffic light that is always green for you. You do not need to stop and think about charts or tables. Just drop the adjective in and you are done.

Use this pattern whenever you are describing a state or a change. It is perfect for everyday conversations.

• Ordering food: Das Bier ist warm. (The beer is warm - hopefully not!)
• Asking directions: Ist der Weg weit? (Is the path far?)
• Job interviews: Ich bin flexibel. (I am flexible.)
• Talking about weather: Es wird dunkel. (It is getting dark.)

You will use this most often with the verb sein (to be). However, it also works with werden (to become) and bleiben (to stay). If you stay healthy, you say Ich bleibe gesund. If you become tired, you say Ich werde müde. In every single one of these cases, the adjective stays naked. No suffixes allowed!

You must be careful not to confuse this with attributive adjectives. Those are the adjectives that sit directly in front of a noun. For example, Der schnelle Wagen (The fast car). In that sentence, schnell is right next to Wagen. It needs an ending because it is part of the noun phrase. Think of it like this: if the adjective is the "bodyguard" standing in front of the noun, it needs a uniform (an ending). If the adjective is hanging out by itself after the verb, it can wear pajamas (no ending). If you see a noun immediately following your adjective, stop! You are in the wrong territory. This rule only applies when the adjective is separated from the noun by a verb.

The biggest mistake is "over-declining." Many learners get so used to adding endings that they do it everywhere. You might accidentally say Das Kind ist kleines. This sounds very strange to a German ear. It is like saying "The child is smalls" in English. Another mistake is forgetting that plural subjects still take the base adjective. You might want to say Die Autos sind schnellen. Nope! Even with a thousand cars, it is still just schnell. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes when they change their minds mid-sentence. But for you, the rule is: if it follows the verb, leave it alone. Keep it simple and keep it clean.

Let's compare two sentences to see the difference clearly.

1. 1Ein guter Kaffee. (A good coffee.)
2. 2Der Kaffee ist gut. (The coffee is good.)

In the first sentence, gut has an -er ending. Why? Because it is right in front of the noun Kaffee. In the second sentence, gut is after the verb ist. It has no ending. This contrast is the key to mastering German adjectives. One requires a complex table of endings. The other requires absolutely nothing. Most learners find the second pattern much more relaxing. It allows you to focus on your pronunciation and vocabulary rather than math-like grammar calculations.