Genau
Topic test · B1

Adjectives as nouns test

10questions
8minutes
60%pass mark
Start the test Read the topic first

One question at a time, the clock runs. Answers stay closed like a real exam: you see every correct answer with its explanation at the end. Score 60% to finish the topic.

Topic test

10 questions, easy to hard

Pick an option and press «Next». You can go back and change it. Anything left blank counts as wrong.

Sie ist (a German).

She is a German (woman).

eine Deutsche. For a woman you use eine, and the adjective ending is -e.

Er ist (a German).

He is a German (man).

ein Deutscher. For a man you use ein, and in the nominative the adjective ending is -er.

Ich habe mit einem gesprochen.

I spoke with an acquaintance.

Bekannten. The preposition mit takes the dative (einem). In the dative after an article (dem/einem), adjectives take -en; without an article it is -em: mit etwas Neuem.

Gibt es etwas ?

Is there anything new?

Neues. After etwas the adjective starts with a capital letter and takes -es.

Ich wünsche dir alles zum Geburtstag!

Happy birthday (I wish you all the best).

Gute. After alles the adjective starts with a capital letter and takes -e (alles Gute).

Wir haben gestern (an adult) gesehen.

Yesterday we saw an adult (man).

einen Erwachsenen. sehen takes the accusative (einen). In the masculine accusative the adjective ending is -en.

Which one is spelled wrong?

etwas gutes. Adjectives used as nouns must always start with a capital letter.

Build the sentence: He didn’t tell anything interesting.

Tap the pieces to build the sentence

After nichts the adjective starts with a capital letter and takes -es.

Die Angestellte müssen pünktlich sein. — this sentence has no grammar mistake.

False. In the plural (die) the adjective-noun must take -en: Die Angestellten.

Gibt es etwas ?

Is there anything new?

After etwas the adjective starts with a capital letter and takes -es.
Quick rules

The rules in three lines

The full topic lives on its own page. This is only the core you need for the test.

  1. Adjectives used as nouns are capitalised like nouns

    Adjectives are normally written in lowercase, but when they are used as nouns they start with a capital letter.

    alt → der Alte, neu → etwas Neues

  2. They keep following the adjective-ending rules

    They take the usual adjective endings (-e, -er, -en etc.), depending on the article in front and on the case.

    ein Deutscher, der Deutsche, mit einem Deutschen

  3. etwas/nichts take -es, alles takes -e

    An adjective after etwas, nichts, viel, wenig starts with a capital letter and takes -es. Only after alles does -e follow.

    etwas Gutes, alles Gute

Traps

Commonly mixed up

Where a direct translation breaks. The hard questions come from here.

  • Ich wünsche dir alles Gutes.

    Ich wünsche dir alles Gute.

    etwas and nichts take -es, but alles takes only -e.

  • Er ist ein Deutsche.

    Er ist ein Deutscher.

    Used with the indefinite article (ein) for a man, the adjective has to take the ending -er.