Deklinationen

Deklinationen, or declensions, are the inflectional changes by which words mark grammatical categories such as case, number, and (in some languages) gender. They describe how nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and determiners alter their forms to express their function in a sentence, such as who is acting, who is being acted upon, or possession. Declension systems vary by language, with German, Latin, Russian, and Finnish offering notable examples.

In German, the term refers mainly to four grammatical cases: Nominativ (subject or predicate noun), Akkusativ (direct object), Dativ (indirect object), and Genitiv (possession). Noun forms depend on case and number, and definite or indefinite determiners also change to reflect the case, gender, and number. For example, der Mann becomes den Mann in the accusative, dem Mann in the dative, des Mannes in the genitive, while die Männer form changes with number in the plural.

Adjectives in German show three declension patterns: weak, strong, and mixed. After a definite article, adjectives typically take weak endings (der gute Mann). After an indefinite or zero article, adjectives take strong endings (ein guter Mann, guter Mann im Nominativ). Mixed endings appear with indefinite determiners in some cases (e.g., ein guter Mann, eines guten Mannes).

Declensions extend beyond nouns and adjectives to pronouns and numerals in many languages. Mastery of deklinationen helps with syntax, agreement, and meaning, and patterns often include irregular forms that must be learned separately.

In a broader sense, deklinationen form a central part of the grammar of languages with case systems, shaping how sentences are constructed and understood.