A2-4 · Describing people with der, die and das
Personality
Describe character traits and practise adjective endings after definite articles.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
An adjective before a noun
Meet three people in a neighbourhood. An adjective after ist stays unchanged: Der Nachbar ist ruhig. Before a noun it needs an ending. With singular subjects after der, die and das, use -e.
Der Nachbar ist ruhig.
The neighbour is calm.
Der ruhige Nachbar hört zu.
The calm neighbour listens.
Die freundliche Kollegin hilft oft.
The friendly colleague often helps.
Das neugierige Kind fragt viel.
The curious child asks lots of questions.
These examples are nominative because the people are the subjects. Learn der ruhige Nachbar, die freundliche Kollegin and das neugierige Kind as complete phrases.
02
One person or several
A trait can describe several people. After plural die, the adjective ends in -en when the noun is the subject. Compare die geduldige Lehrerin with die geduldigen Lehrerinnen.
Die geduldige Lehrerin erklärt die Aufgabe.
The patient teacher explains the task.
Die geduldigen Lehrerinnen erklären die Aufgabe.
The patient teachers explain the task.
Die ehrlichen Freunde sagen die Wahrheit.
The honest friends tell the truth.
Die hilfsbereiten Nachbarn tragen die Taschen.
The helpful neighbours carry the bags.
Die can mark a feminine singular noun or a plural noun. Look at the whole phrase: die geduldige Lehrerin is one teacher; die geduldigen Lehrerinnen is more than one.
03
Choose a precise description
Quiet and shy are different descriptions. Ruhig describes someone calm or quiet; schüchtern describes someone shy. Read how each person acts before choosing a word. These sentences keep the adjective in the subject.
Der schüchterne Junge spricht wenig.
The shy boy speaks little.
Die lustige Freundin erzählt einen Witz.
The funny friend tells a joke.
Der zuverlässige Kollege kommt pünktlich.
The reliable colleague arrives on time.
Das ruhige Kind lacht heute viel.
The quiet child laughs a lot today.
A trait does not describe every moment of a person's life. Heute means today, so the final sentence describes a change in behaviour for this occasion. The ending after das is still -e.
Ready to try it?
Check what you remember with 12 short questions.
Loading quiz…