German adjective endings: a pattern you can actually use
Weak, mixed, and strong adjective endings — reduced to the decision you make in a real sentence, with examples instead of folklore.
~2 min read · B1
The adjective agrees with the noun you already chose
Endings look like noise until you see the job: they repeat gender, number, and case when the article does not fully show it. After der / die / das / die (plural), the adjective usually takes a weak ending: der alte Tisch, die kleine Wohnung, das neue Auto, die alten Bücher.
ein and kein change the job
ein, kein, mein do not show gender as clearly in masculine and neuter nominative. The adjective then carries more information: ein alter Tisch, ein neues Auto. That is the mixed pattern. Feminine eine kleine Wohnung still looks a lot like the weak pattern. You do not need a speech about 'strong vs weak' to use this — you need to notice whether the article already told you the gender.
No article: the adjective does the whole job
guter Wein, frische Brötchen, kaltes Wasser. This is the strong set, and it is why lists of endings exist. Learn it after the article cases, not instead of them. If dem vs den is still random, adjective endings will feel like a second language on top of German.
A practice rule that is strict on purpose
For two weeks, only write noun phrases you can point to: article (or none), adjective, noun. Say the case out loud first: 'dative plural after mit'. Then write mit den alten Freunden. One correct phrase a day beats a colour-coded chart you cannot retrieve under time pressure.