ABSTRACT
They can be placed before the noun as ATTRIBUTIVE ADJECTIVES. In this position they have an ending which indicates the GENDER, NUMBER and CASE of the noun, e.g. der helle Tag, eine alte Frau, reines Gold, mit kaltem Wasser. Even an extended adjectival phrase has such an ending:
They can be used as a complement of the verb (i.e. as a PREDICATE COMPLEMENT, see 1.6). They then come after the verb and have no ending: Das Wasser ist kalt. Das Auto ist schnell.
