A2-43 · Describe music without an article
Music
Use adjective endings when there is no article before a music-related noun.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
Describe a noun directly
Without an article, the adjective must show more grammatical information: guter Jazz, schöne Musik, lautes Klavier. These are nominative forms for masculine, feminine and neuter nouns.
Guter Jazz gefällt mir.
I like good jazz.
Schöne Musik macht Freude.
Beautiful music brings joy.
Lautes Klavier stört mich.
Loud piano playing bothers me.
Die Musik ist schön.
The music is beautiful.
Compare Die Musik ist schön with schöne Musik. After sein the adjective has no ending; before a noun it needs one.
02
Use an accusative object
Without an article, masculine accusative adjectives take -en: Ich höre guten Jazz. Feminine and neuter keep -e and -es: ruhige Musik, lautes Klavier.
Ich höre guten Jazz.
I listen to good jazz.
Mara mag ruhige Musik.
Mara likes calm music.
Ben hört lautes Klavier.
Ben hears loud piano playing.
Wir lernen neue Lieder.
We learn new songs.
For plural nouns without an article, nominative and accusative adjectives usually end in -e: neue Lieder. Das Lied becomes die Lieder.
03
Use the dative after mit
Without an article, dative adjectives take -em for masculine and neuter, -er for feminine and -en for plural: mit gutem Klang, mit schöner Musik, mit neuen Liedern.
Die Gitarre überrascht mit gutem Klang.
The guitar surprises with good sound.
Wir feiern mit schöner Musik.
We celebrate with beautiful music.
Das Konzert beginnt mit neuen Liedern.
The concert begins with new songs.
Wir üben mit leisem Klavier.
We practice with quiet piano accompaniment.
Der Klang means sound. In plural dative, the noun often adds -n too: Lieder → Liedern. Learn the whole phrase aloud.
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