Mixed Declension (After ein/kein/mein)

When you describe a noun with a, no, or my in German, the article itself sometimes leaves a gap in the grammar. Compare der Mann and das Kind with ein Mann and ein Kind: both use the bare word ein, so looking at ein alone does not tell you whether the noun is masculine or neuter.

German solves that ambiguity with the Mixed Declension (Gemischte Deklination). It applies whenever an attributive adjective follows:

• The indefinite article: ein, eine, ein (a / an)
• The negative article: kein, keine, kein (no / not a / none)
• Possessive articles: mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, ihr, Ihr (my, your, his, her, our, etc.)

(See possessive pronouns and articles if you want to review those determiners first.)

The Signal Endings Rule

Why is this pattern called mixed? Because it combines endings from the strong declension and the weak declension.

In three specific positions, the article ein (or kein / mein) carries zero ending, so it fails to display the noun’s gender:

1. Nominative Masculine: ein → the adjective steps up with -er (ein neuer Wagen — der Wagen)
2. Nominative Neuter: ein → the adjective steps up with -es (ein neues Auto — das Auto)
3. Accusative Neuter: ein → the adjective steps up with -es (kein neues Auto — das Auto)

Everywhere else, the determiner itself already wears an unmistakable ending (eine, einen, einem, einer, eines, meine, meinen, meiner), so the adjective drops back into the familiar weak endings (-e for Feminine Nom/Akk, and -en everywhere else).

Mixed Declension Master Table

Study the three highlighted signal slots in Nominative Masculine, Nominative Neuter, and Accusative Neuter—then notice how the rest of the chart mirrors the weak declension:

Just like in the weak declension, all Dative, Genitive, and Plural forms end in -en!

Weak vs. Mixed Side by Side

Putting the two tables next to each other reveals that 13 out of 16 cells have the exact same adjective ending (-e or -en). Only the three bare-ein slots differ:

Practical Sentence Examples

Watch how the endings behave in real sentences across all four cases:

• Nominative Masculine (-er): Das ist ein neuer Wagen. (That is a new car. — der Wagen, nominative after sein.)
• Nominative Feminine (-e): Meine kleine Schwester wohnt in Köln. (My little sister lives in Cologne. — die Schwester.)
• Accusative Neuter (-es): Ich habe kein neues Auto. (I don’t have a new car. — das Auto, direct object.)
• Accusative Masculine (-en): Wir suchen einen erfahrenen Arzt. (We are looking for an experienced doctor. — der Arzt.)
• Dative Neuter (-en): Wir wohnen in einem kleinen Haus. (We live in a small house. — das Haus, Dative location with in.)
• Dative Feminine (-en): Er fährt mit seiner alten Kollegin. (He is riding with his old colleague. — die Kollegin.)
• Plural Possessive (-en): Meine guten Freunde helfen mir immer. (My good friends always help me. — der Freund / die Freunde.)
• Genitive Masculine (-en): Trotz eines starken Sturms fuhren die Züge. (Despite a strong storm, the trains ran. — der Sturm.)

Watch Out for euer and unser

When euer (your, plural) takes an ending (eure, euren, eurem, eurer), it normally drops its internal -e- before -r:

• euer neues Büro (Nom/Akk neuter — euer has no ending, so the adjective adds -es, das Büro)
• eure lieben Eltern (Nom plural — eure drops the middle -e-, and the adjective takes -en)
• mit eurem großen Hund (Dat masculine — der Hund)

With unser, the -e- usually stays (unsere, unserem, unseren).

(Want to double-check whether a noun is der, die, or das before declining? Use the Der, Die, Das Checker or verify complete phrases in the Adjective Declension Calculator.)

Common Mistakes: Wrong vs. Right

Next, explore what happens when no article at all stands before the noun in strong adjective declension.