German Adjectives: The 100 Most Useful for Beginners
🇩🇪 German · 100 cards · A1 · by Annika Vogel
These are the 100 adjectives you meet first: on shop signs, in small talk and in complaints about the U-Bahn. Every card gives the bare dictionary form plus one sentence someone would actually say.
Two things trip beginners up. Endings: after ist the adjective stays bare (Die Wohnung ist klein), but in front of a noun it takes one (eine kleine Wohnung). And a few stems change shape once an ending arrives – teuer → teure, dunkel → dunkle, hoch → hohe. The notes flag those, plus the words with a second, sneaky meaning: voll, sauer, fertig, kaputt. Learn the bare form first, then the sentence.
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All 100 cards
| # | German | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | gut Irregular comparison: besser, am besten. | good | Das Essen hier ist wirklich gut. The food here is really good. | |
| 2 | schlecht "Mir ist schlecht" means "I feel sick". | bad, poor | Ich habe letzte Nacht schlecht geschlafen. I slept badly last night. | |
| 3 | groß Comparative größer; also used for people's height. | big, large; tall | Meine Schwester wohnt in einer großen Wohnung. My sister lives in a big flat. | |
| 4 | klein | small, little | Ich nehme nur ein kleines Bier. I'll just have a small beer. | |
| 5 | neu | new | Hast du ein neues Handy? Do you have a new phone? | |
| 6 | alt Also the standard word for stating age. Comparative älter. | old | Wie alt bist du? How old are you? | |
| 7 | jung Comparative jünger. | young | Für diesen Job bin ich zu jung. I'm too young for this job. | |
| 8 | schön Also polite everyday filler: "Schönen Tag noch!" | beautiful, nice | Was für ein schöner Tag! What a beautiful day! | |
| 9 | lang For duration the adverb is "lange": Ich warte schon lange. | long | Sie hat lange Haare. She has long hair. | |
| 10 | kurz Comparative kürzer. | short | Der Weg zur Arbeit ist kurz. The way to work is short. | |
| 11 | schnell | fast, quick | Gibt es hier schnelles Internet? Is there fast internet here? | |
| 12 | langsam Same form as the adverb – German doesn't add -ly. | slow | Fahr bitte langsam! Please drive slowly! | |
| 13 | warm Comparative wärmer. | warm | Zieh dir etwas Warmes an. Put something warm on. | |
| 14 | kalt Body feelings take the dative: Mir ist kalt. | cold | Mir sind die Füße kalt. My feet are cold. | |
| 15 | heiß For spicy food use scharf, not heiß. | hot | Vorsicht, der Kaffee ist heiß! Careful, the coffee is hot! | |
| 16 | teuer Drops the -e- before an ending: eine teure Wohnung. | expensive | Hamburg ist echt teuer geworden. Hamburg has got really expensive. | |
| 17 | billig Can suggest poor quality; günstig sounds friendlier. | cheap | Ich suche ein billiges Hotel. I'm looking for a cheap hotel. | |
| 18 | leicht Covers both weight and difficulty. | light (weight); easy | Die Tasche ist ganz leicht. The bag is really light. | |
| 19 | schwer Opposite of both meanings of leicht. | heavy; difficult | Der Koffer ist mir zu schwer. The suitcase is too heavy for me. | |
| 20 | einfach As a particle it also means "just": Mach es einfach. | simple, easy | So einfach ist das nicht. It's not that simple. | |
| 21 | schwierig | difficult | Deutsche Grammatik finde ich schwierig. I find German grammar difficult. | |
| 22 | richtig Colloquially also "really": richtig gut. | right, correct | Bin ich hier im richtigen Zug? Am I on the right train? | |
| 23 | falsch | wrong | Ich bin in die falsche Richtung gefahren. I went in the wrong direction. | |
| 24 | voll Youth slang: voll = very (voll nett). | full, crowded | Morgens ist die U-Bahn total voll. In the mornings the underground is completely packed. | |
| 25 | leer | empty | Der Kühlschrank ist schon wieder leer. The fridge is empty again already. | |
| 26 | offen Everyday speech often uses "auf": Der Laden ist auf. | open | Ist der Bäcker sonntags offen? Is the bakery open on Sundays? | |
| 27 | geschlossen Spoken German usually says "zu". | closed | Montags bleibt das Museum geschlossen. On Mondays the museum stays closed. | |
| 28 | sauber Keeps the -e- before an ending: ein sauberes Glas. | clean | Endlich ist die Küche sauber. The kitchen is finally clean. | |
| 29 | schmutzig "Dreckig" is the more colloquial, stronger word. | dirty | Deine Schuhe sind ganz schmutzig. Your shoes are all dirty. | |
| 30 | laut | loud, noisy | Die Nachbarn sind heute sehr laut. The neighbours are very noisy today. | |
| 31 | leise | quiet, soft (sound) | Kannst du bitte leise sein? Can you please be quiet? | |
| 32 | hell Also for light colours: hellblau. | bright, light | Wir suchen eine helle Wohnung. We're looking for a bright flat. | |
| 33 | dunkel Loses the -e- before an ending: im dunklen Flur. | dark | Im Winter wird es früh dunkel. In winter it gets dark early. | |
| 34 | stark Comparative stärker. | strong | Der Kaffee ist mir zu stark. The coffee is too strong for me. | |
| 35 | schwach Comparative schwächer. | weak | Ich fühle mich heute schwach. I feel weak today. | |
| 36 | dick About people it is blunt, almost rude. | thick; fat | Was für ein dickes Buch! What a thick book! | |
| 37 | dünn | thin | Die Jacke ist zu dünn für den Winter. The jacket is too thin for winter. | |
| 38 | breit | wide, broad | Die Straße ist hier sehr breit. The street is very wide here. | |
| 39 | eng Also "close": ein enger Freund. | narrow, tight | Die Hose ist mir zu eng. The trousers are too tight for me. | |
| 40 | hoch Becomes hoh- before an ending: ein hohes Haus. Comparative höher. | high, tall | Die Miete ist einfach zu hoch. The rent is simply too high. | |
| 41 | niedrig Used for heights, prices and numbers; for depth use tief. | low | Damals war die Miete noch niedrig. Back then the rent was still low. | |
| 42 | nah Also written nahe; comparative näher, am nächsten. | near, close | Der Supermarkt ist ganz nah. The supermarket is very close. | |
| 43 | weit With clothes it means loose-fitting. | far; wide, loose | Bis zum Bahnhof ist es nicht weit. It's not far to the station. | |
| 44 | früh | early | Morgen muss ich früh raus. Tomorrow I have to get up early. | |
| 45 | spät "Wie spät ist es?" = What time is it? | late | Es ist schon spät, ich gehe. It's already late, I'm off. | |
| 46 | glücklich Stronger than English "happy"; for a good mood say gut gelaunt. | happy | Sie sieht richtig glücklich aus. She looks really happy. | |
| 47 | traurig | sad | Das Ende macht mich traurig. The ending makes me sad. | |
| 48 | müde | tired | Nach der Arbeit bin ich müde. After work I'm tired. | |
| 49 | hungrig About yourself people normally say "Ich habe Hunger". | hungry | Die Kinder kommen hungrig nach Hause. The kids come home hungry. | |
| 50 | durstig "Ich habe Durst" is far more common. | thirsty | Bist du auch so durstig? Are you that thirsty too? | |
| 51 | satt Never use voll for a full stomach. | full (after eating) | Danke, ich bin satt. Thanks, I'm full. | |
| 52 | krank Comparative kränker. | ill, sick | Mein Kollege ist seit Montag krank. My colleague has been off sick since Monday. | |
| 53 | gesund "Werd schnell wieder gesund!" = Get well soon. | healthy | Obst und Gemüse sind gesund. Fruit and vegetables are healthy. | |
| 54 | nett | nice, kind | Danke, das ist nett von dir. Thanks, that's kind of you. | |
| 55 | freundlich | friendly | Die Verkäuferin war sehr freundlich. The shop assistant was very friendly. | |
| 56 | lustig | funny, fun | Der Abend war echt lustig. The evening was really fun. | |
| 57 | langweilig "Ich bin langweilig" means YOU are the boring one. | boring | Mir ist langweilig. I'm bored. | |
| 58 | interessant | interesting | Das klingt interessant. That sounds interesting. | |
| 59 | wichtig | important | Das Treffen ist mir wichtig. The meeting is important to me. | |
| 60 | bekannt "ein Bekannter" = an acquaintance. | well-known, familiar | Das Café ist hier ziemlich bekannt. The café is quite well known around here. | |
| 61 | fremd Takes the dative person: Das ist mir fremd. | unfamiliar, strange; foreign | Die Stadt ist mir noch fremd. The city is still unfamiliar to me. | |
| 62 | frei "Eintritt frei" = free admission; otherwise "free of charge" is kostenlos. | free, vacant | Ist der Platz noch frei? Is this seat still free? | |
| 63 | besetzt Also used for a busy phone line. | occupied, taken | Die Toilette ist besetzt. The toilet is occupied. | |
| 64 | fertig Colloquially also "shattered": Ich bin total fertig. | finished, ready | Ich bin gleich fertig. I'll be done in a moment. | |
| 65 | möglich | possible | Ist das überhaupt möglich? Is that even possible? | |
| 66 | sicher As an adverb it also means "surely, probably": Sie kommt sicher noch. | sure, certain; safe | Bist du sicher? Are you sure? | |
| 67 | gefährlich | dangerous | Hier zu baden ist gefährlich. Swimming here is dangerous. | |
| 68 | ruhig As a particle it softens an offer: Komm ruhig rein. | quiet, calm | Abends ist die Straße ruhig. In the evening the street is quiet. | |
| 69 | nervös | nervous | Vor Prüfungen werde ich nervös. I get nervous before exams. | |
| 70 | fleißig A real compliment in German, heard a lot at school. | hard-working, diligent | Sie ist eine fleißige Schülerin. She is a hard-working pupil. | |
| 71 | faul With fruit it means rotten: ein fauler Apfel. | lazy; rotten | Sonntags bin ich gern faul. On Sundays I like being lazy. | |
| 72 | klug "Schlau" is the more casual word. | clever, smart | Das war eine kluge Entscheidung. That was a clever decision. | |
| 73 | dumm Said about a person it is an insult. | stupid, silly | Das war eine dumme Idee. That was a stupid idea. | |
| 74 | reich | rich, wealthy | Reich wird man damit nicht. You won't get rich from that. | |
| 75 | arm Also sympathetic: Du Armer! (You poor thing!) Comparative ärmer. | poor | Früher war das Viertel arm. The neighbourhood used to be poor. | |
| 76 | hart Comparative härter. | hard, tough | Das Brot ist hart geworden. The bread has gone hard. | |
| 77 | weich | soft | Das Bett ist mir zu weich. The bed is too soft for me. | |
| 78 | frisch | fresh | Die Brötchen sind noch frisch. The rolls are still fresh. | |
| 79 | lecker Everyday word; "köstlich" sounds formal. | tasty, delicious | Der Kuchen war richtig lecker. The cake was really delicious. | |
| 80 | süß About babies and animals it means cute. | sweet; cute | Der Tee ist mir zu süß. The tea is too sweet for me. | |
| 81 | sauer "sauer auf jemanden sein" = to be mad at someone. | sour; annoyed | Die Zitrone ist sehr sauer. The lemon is very sour. | |
| 82 | salzig | salty | Die Suppe ist etwas zu salzig. The soup is a bit too salty. | |
| 83 | scharf Also sharp (knife). Comparative schärfer. | spicy; sharp | Magst du scharfes Essen? Do you like spicy food? | |
| 84 | trocken Also for wine: ein trockener Weißwein. | dry | Die Wäsche ist noch nicht trocken. The laundry isn't dry yet. | |
| 85 | nass | wet | Meine Jacke ist komplett nass. My jacket is completely wet. | |
| 86 | bunt | colourful | Sie trägt gern bunte Kleider. She likes wearing colourful dresses. | |
| 87 | kaputt About people it means exhausted. | broken | Mein Fahrrad ist kaputt. My bike is broken. | |
| 88 | toll Very common in speech; can also be sarcastic. | great, fantastic | Das ist eine tolle Idee! That's a great idea! | |
| 89 | hässlich | ugly | Den Neubau finde ich hässlich. I find the new building ugly. | |
| 90 | böse Usually with the dative: jemandem böse sein. In fairy tales it means evil. | cross, angry; evil | Bist du mir jetzt böse? Are you cross with me now? | |
| 91 | günstig Positive alternative to billig; used constantly in ads. | cheap, good value | Die Tickets waren richtig günstig. The tickets were really cheap. | |
| 92 | wach | awake | Um sechs war ich schon wach. I was already awake at six. | |
| 93 | rot | red | Die Ampel ist rot. The traffic light is red. | |
| 94 | blau Slang: blau sein = to be drunk. | blue | Sie hat blaue Augen. She has blue eyes. | |
| 95 | grün | green | Im Frühling wird alles grün. In spring everything turns green. | |
| 96 | gelb | yellow | Ich suche eine gelbe Jacke. I'm looking for a yellow jacket. | |
| 97 | schwarz "schwarzfahren" = to ride without a ticket. | black | Ich trinke meinen Kaffee schwarz. I drink my coffee black. | |
| 98 | weiß Don't confuse it with "ich weiß" (I know). | white | Sie trägt ein weißes Kleid. She's wearing a white dress. | |
| 99 | grau | grey | Der Himmel ist heute grau. The sky is grey today. | |
| 100 | braun | brown | Ich nehme die braunen Schuhe. I'll take the brown shoes. |
Annika Vogel
Native German · Speaks English, Dutch
Hamburg native. I spent years explaining German word order to exchange students and still enjoy it. My decks favour the words you hear on the U-Bahn over the ones in textbooks.
Published
Questions about this deck
- Do German adjectives always need an ending?
- No. After sein, werden or bleiben the adjective stays in its bare dictionary form: Die Wohnung ist klein. It only takes an ending in front of a noun, and that ending depends on the article, gender and case: eine kleine Wohnung, der kleine Tisch, mit kleinen Kindern. Learn each word bare first, then practise it in front of a noun.
- Why does teuer become teure and dunkel become dunkle?
- Adjectives ending in -el always drop the unstressed -e- of the stem before an ending (dunkel → im dunklen Zimmer, teuer → eine teure Jacke does the same), because German avoids two weak syllables in a row. Adjectives in -er vary: teuer drops it, but sauber normally keeps it (ein sauberes Glas). Hoch is a special case: it becomes hoh- before an ending, ein hohes Haus.
- Should I say billig or günstig for cheap?
- Günstig means good value and is what shops, ads and polite speakers use: Die Tickets waren günstig. Billig focuses on the low price and often hints at bad quality, so calling someone's jacket billig can sound like an insult. For "free of charge" use kostenlos, not frei.
- Which adjectives in this deck have irregular comparatives?
- Gut → besser, am besten. Hoch → höher, am höchsten. Nah → näher, am nächsten. Many one-syllable adjectives also add an umlaut: alt → älter, jung → jünger, groß → größer, warm → wärmer, kalt → kälter, stark → stärker, hart → härter, scharf → schärfer, krank → kränker. Longer words like interessant or gefährlich simply add -er.
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