how to write german articles

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CV Writing Tips and Advice

Job hunting alone can be a stressful process without having to worry about if your CV is written appropriately. This article will provide you with some tips to help alleviate the anxiety that comes with writing your CV and some tricks to help it stand out to potential employers.

Personal Statement

Equipping your CV with a personal statement will help it stand out to employers. If positioned at the top of the first page, it’ll be the first thing that employers read and, if worded attractively, will entice them to keep reading. You should use this statement to focus on your best qualities and tailor it to the job you’re seeking.

The skills section of your CV should highlight pertinent skills that can help you excel at the job in question. Whether it is advanced computer skills, team-building, written or verbal communication, or problem solving skills make sure they relate to the job you are pursuing. Another way to make this section stand out is to utilize bullet points when listing these skills to give readers a quick and focused snapshot of the skills you have to offer.

Recent Employment vs. Older Positions

Employers will focus most of their attention on your most recent employment. So it’s crucial to make this section as detailed as possible. Use language that’s positive and shows that your current or most recent responsibilities can translate to the job you’re pursuing. Try to show, in your summary of recent employment, that you’ve had a positive impact in your position.

If you have many years of experience in your industry, you don’t have to elaborate as much on your older positions. A shorter summary of your responsibilities should be sufficient.

Length and Language

Time is precious to potential employers, so it’s important to be clear, concise and keep your CV to no longer than two pages. Show that you have good communication skills by using professional language — and always use spell-check prior to sending it forward. You want to catch the attention of the employer so that they’ll bring you in for an interview. During the interview you will have the opportunity to elaborate on your skills and expertise.

As you should always customize your CV to the role you’re pursuing, researching the role and company are key. You’ll want to know in advance what the company prides itself on and the qualities needed to be successful in the position you are applying for. Not only will this be helpful when writing your CV, but it will also benefit you if you land an interview.

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The best tips and tricks to learn German articles (der, die, das)

Updated November 7, 2022

The German language is difficult to learn, especially German articles can be confusing. These tips will help you get to grips with your German articles ( der, die, das ). For  language students learning German , few aspects cause quite as much confusion as understanding the different articles. In English, the word “the” is so commonplace and simple to get to grips with that we take it for granted, but there is no simple “the” in German, you have to learn whether to use der, die or das , depending on the “gender” of the noun.

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How do you use articles (der, die, das) in german.

To make matters even more confusing, the word die is also used for plural words. Suffice to say, this can all seem thoroughly overwhelming for many new students, but fear not. Here, we take a look at some tips and tricks to help you to learn and memorise these articles in German more easily.

How to understand der, die and das

The first essential step to learning the different articles is to make sure you understand the basic principles behind the words der, die and das . In the  German language , every noun is assigned a gender – either masculine ( männlich ), feminine ( weiblich ), or neuter ( sächlich ).

Before doing anything else, it is crucial to learn which version of “the” is used for each gender. For masculine nouns, the word der is used, for feminine nouns, you use the die prefix, and the word das in German is used for neuter nouns.

It is also important to understand that it is the WORD that is given the gender, rather than the person, object or thing, and this can make the gender of each noun difficult to guess, based on logic. For example, the  German word  for “sofa” is neuter ( das Sofa ), while the word for “couch” is feminine ( die Couch ), yet they describe the same thing.

Fortunately, there are some patterns to help you out.

General indicators for determining gender in German

Although some  German speakers  will insist that you need to learn the gender of each noun individually, there are some key indicators that can provide a helping hand. Although there may be exceptions, it is generally possible to make an educated guess on the gender, based on how the word ends. These rules can be defined as follows:

If a noun ends in -or, -ling, -ig, –ner or -smus, it is masculine and should be prefixed by the word  der . For instance, you would say: der Generator, der Frühling, der Honig, der Rentner and der Kapitalismus.

If a noun ends in  -ung ,  -ie ,  -ei ,  -keit ,  heit ,  schaft ,  –tät ,  -ik  or  -tion , it is feminine and should be prefixed by the word  die. For instance, you would say die Zeitung, die Komödie, die Bäckerei, die Tätigkeit, die Schönheit, die Mannschaft, die Universität, die Musik and die Situation.

If a noun ends in  -chen ,  -lein ,  -ment ,  -tum ,  -ma  or  -um , it is neuter and should be prefixed by  das. For instance, you would say das Mädchen, das Fräulein, das Supplement, das Rittertum, das Schema and das Museum.

Therefore, if you can take the time to memorise which version of “the” pairs up with each ending, you will start to look at words slightly differently. This will then help you to make an educated guess on the gender of just about any noun you may encounter during your studies.

Rules regarding people, animals and occupations

In general, nouns which relate to male living things, including both humans and animals, are masculine and are therefore prefixed with “der”. For example, der Mann (man), der Vater (father) and der König (king) all describe male people, while der Hengst (stallion) and der Hahn (rooster) refer to male  animals .

The same can usually be said of nouns relating to female living things. These are mostly feminine and are prefixed with “die”. For example, die Frau (woman), die Mutter (mother) and die Königin (queen) describe female people, while die Stute (mare) and die Henne (hen) refer to female animals.

Some notable exceptions with female living things include das Mädchen (girl) and das Fräulein (Miss), which are both neuter words. Logically, it may seem these should be feminine, but as described above, words ending in -chen and -lein are almost always neuter. Remember, it is the word that is assigned the gender, not the object.

A similar principle applies when describing male and female jobs. To clarify, this is not about assigning gender roles or casting aspersions on which jobs men and women should do, but instead refers to  job  roles like der Polizist (policeman), which is clearly describing a male, and die Polizistin (police woman), which describes a female.

Other rules and tips for determining German gender

In addition to those rules above, there are several other ways of determining the gender of nouns, so that you know which article to use. Some of these are explained below.

The following words are almost always masculine and prefixed by “ der “:

• Days, months and seasons
• Directions, like der Norden (north)
• Makes of car or train, like der Mercedes

The following words are almost always feminine and prefixed by “ die “:

• Cardinal numbers, like die Eins (one)
• Names of ships, aircrafts or motorbikes, like die Titanic

The following words are generally neutral and prefixed by “ das “:

• Colours when they are used as nouns, like das Ro t (red)
• Most words related to science, technology and mechanics

Once again, there will be certain exceptions to these rules, but if you use them as a basis to form patterns in your mind, you will find learning and remembering the gender of nouns far easier.

Final tips for learning der, die and das

Another simple trick is to make sure you learn the appropriate articles in German alongside each noun when you expand your vocabulary. If you start to see the article and the noun as being inseparable, it will become much easier. If you write new vocabulary down, consider colour coordinating words with highlighters, so you know their gender.

Once you have got to grips with the relationship between der, die, das and gender, you must also learn how to use plural nouns. Fortunately, when dealing with plurals, the word die is used in almost all instances, with the exception of when using the  Dativ  and  Genitiv  cases, making this fairly straightforward.

So, if you are talking about more than one of something, you generally use the word die , regardless of gender.

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The Complete Guide To Learning And Using German Articles

One of the first questions you might have about learning German is how to say German articles, “the” , “a” and “an”.

But, the choices are a little more complicated in German. Instead of two options, you have 11: der , die , das , den , dem , des , ein , eine , einen , einem , and eines .

However, you shouldn't let these articles intimidate you. Because there are plenty of guidelines that can help you choose right.

Like most other aspects of the German language, there are several systematic ways to learn the different articles. And you're going to discover them in this post!

By the way, if you want to learn German fast and have fun, my top recommendation is  German Uncovered  which teaches you through StoryLearning®. 

If you’re ready to get started,  click here for a 7-day FREE trial.

What Are Articles?

So articles are words like “a,” “an,” and “the”. These short articles precede nouns that can be people, places, or things.

Articles are simple in English. However, in German, you have over a dozen article options to choose from!

How To Pick The Right Article Declension 

Fortunately, German articles can tell you a lot more information about a sentence. And there are many effective ways of remembering which one to use when.

For example, German articles can reveal more about the noun:

• Number – Articles in German can tell you if a noun is singular or plural. 
• Gender – German articles indicate the gender of the noun they precede. 
• Case – You can also tell which words are the subject, direct object, and indirect object. Using the right articles, you'll have the flexibility to change the word order without changing the meaning! In English, we don't have this luxury. Because we have to stick to a specific sentence structure to make sense. 

So this guide will teach you how to use German articles correctly and boost your fluency.

Definite vs. Indefinite Articles In German

There are two general categories of articles:

• Definite Articles – In English, we use the word “the” to talk about a specific person, idea, or object. The three main definite articles in German are der , die , and das .
• Indefinite Articles – The words “a” and “an” allow us to speak about more generic people, places, or objects. In German, words like ein and eine are the equivalent.

Using the right definite and indefinite articles in German is often considered one of the most challenging aspects of learning the language.

But, all you really need is patience, practice. And the willingness to learn. 

The German Definite Articles

In German, definite articles change according to their gender, case, and number. But we'll dive deeper into how to determine the gender of nouns and assign the correct articles later.

For now, let's see what the options are:

Above, you'll see the three primary definite articles der , die , and das . The word “ die ” is also used in the plural form. In addition to gender, definite articles also have a case: nominative, accusative, or dative. If you haven't already, learn more about The German Case System. 

So let's look at a few simple examples of definite articles in sentences:

• Der Mann heißt Heinrich . (The man is named Heinrich.)
• Die Frau liest mir das Buch. (The woman reads the book to me.)
• Das Kind gibt dem Lehrer den Apfel . (The child gives the teacher the apple.)

Next, let's look at what happens to adjectives used between definite articles and their nouns. 

Definite Article Adjective Endings

In addition, if you want to add an adjective between the definite article and a noun, you'll need to add an appropriate German adjective ending.  

In the table above, you'll see the adjective ending is always ‘ e' for feminine and neuter nouns in the nominative and accusative cases.

The plural ending for adjectives following definite articles is ‘ en' . But masculine words have an ‘ e' ending in the nominative case. And an ‘ en' ending in the accusative and dative cases. 

Next let's add some adjectives to the previous example sentences so we can see how adjective endings work:

• Der klein e Mann heißt Heinrich . (The small man is named Heinrich.)
• Die nett e Frau liest mir das Buch. (The nice woman reads the book to me.)
• Das klein e Kind gibt dem neu en Lehrer den frisch en Apfel . (The young child gives the new teacher the fresh apple.)

In the first example, der Mann is masculine. And the subject uses the nominative with an e ending. In the next example, die Frau is a feminine noun in the nominative case, which is why you need an ‘ e' ending once again. 

Similarly, das Kind is a neuter noun in the nominative. And also takes an ‘ e' ending. Dem Lehrer is the indirect object receiving an object, which takes the dative case and an en ending. Den Apfel is the direct object, which takes the accusative case and an en ending.

The German Indefinite Articles

Similarly, indefinite German articles also change according to gender and case. 

So let's plug those indefinite articles into sentences:

• Ich sehe einen Mann. (I see a man.)
• Wir treffen eine Frau . (We are meeting a woman.)
• Er hat ein Kind . (He has a child.)

All of the examples above are in the accusative case. However, each noun takes the form that corresponds to its gender.

Indefinite Article Adjective Endings

In a similar vein to definite articles, if you want to use an adjective after an article and before the noun, the adjective will need an ending. 

Notice that the feminine and neuter forms don't change in the nominative or accusative, only in the dative case. But masculine articles change the most.

• Ich sehe einen alt en Mann. (I see an old man.)
• Wir treffen eine reich e Frau in ein em hoh en Schloss . (We are meeting a rich woman in a tall castle.)
• Er hat ein zweit es Kind mit ein er ander en Frau . (He has a second child with another woman.)

In the first sentence, einen Mann is in the accusative case. And our adjective alt (old) takes an en ending. Next, eine Frau , also in the accusative case, requires an ‘ e' ending for its adjective reich (rich). Finally, both the second and third examples end with prepositional phrases in the dative case.

German Articles Have Genders

All German nouns have one of three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter, and require the corresponding articles.

But, how can you learn which words have which gender?

While some noun genders have to be memorized, you can identify others by various letter combinations. 

Firstly, some German noun genders are biologically determined.

• Masculine – Der Mann (the man), der Vater (the father), der Student (the male student), der Lehrer (the male teacher), der Mitarbeiter (the male employee), etc.
• Feminine – Die Frau (the woman), die Mutter (the mother), die Studentin (the female student), die Lehrerin (the female teacher), die Mitarbeiterin (the female employee), etc.
• Neuter – Das Baby (the baby), das Kind (the child), das Haus (the house)

Secondly, most occupational names have both masculine and feminine versions, depending on the gender of the person. In contrast, other German nouns follow grammatical gender patterns. 

Note that in English, we refer to objects as “it.” But in German, you use a pronoun that corresponds with the noun's gender, er , sie , or es .

How To Know The Gender Of German Articles

Although not all German nouns follow a gender rule, some letter combinations and other guidelines can help you choose the right gender 9 times out of 10. 

• Firstly, over 65% of one-syllable words in German are masculine.
• Secondly, some suffixes are almost always masculine, like ant , er , and or .
• Thirdly, endings such as heit , keit , and ung are feminine.
• And finally neuter endings include chen , lein , um , and o . 

So, when you learn new German words, you also need to learn the gender. Then, you'll need the gender to add the right endings to several other words in a sentence. Luckily, there are specific clues that often indicate a noun's gender.

Now, let's look at these hints in more detail to decide whether we need to use der , die , or das . 

Masculine Nouns And The Article der

Firstly, below are the suffixes that tend to indicate the masculine gender ( der ):

• ant – Diamant (diamond), Elefant (elephant), Praktikant (intern)
• ent – Student (student), Patient (patient), Assistent (assistant), Dozent (professor)
• er – Fahrer (driver), Maler (painter), Spieler (player)
• ich – Teppich (carpet), Rettich (radish)
• ismus – Kapitalismus (capitalism), Tourismus (tourism), Alkoholismus (alcoholism)
• ist – Kapitalist (capitalist), Tourist (tourist), Kommunist (communist)
• ling – Zwilling (twin), Frühling (spring)
• or – Autor (author),  Diktator (dictator), 

In addition, other masculine nouns include:

• Seasons – der Sommer (the summer), der Herbst (the fall), der Winter (the winter)
• Months – der Januar (January), der Februar (February), der März (March)
• Days – der Montag (Monday), der Dienstag (Tuesday), der Mittwoch (Wednesday)
• Map and compass directions – der Norden (north), der Suden (south), der Westen (west), der Osten (east)
• Cars and trains – der BMW , der Volkswagen , der Mercedes
• Many currencies – der Euro , der Dollar , der Cent
• Most mountains or lakes – der Mount Everest , der Mississippi , der Montblanc

Learning the categories and typical endings of words that tend to have a specific noun gender can make the learning process much more manageable. 

Also, German occupations can have either a masculine or feminine form. The masculine form usually ends in er or or . 

Examples : der Lehrer (the male teacher), der Professor (the male professor), der Fotograf (the male photographer), der Kellner (the male waiter)

Feminine Nouns And The Article die

Secondly, below are the tell-tale suffixes of feminine nouns ( die ):

• e – Blume (flower), Summe (sum), Katze (cat)
• ei – Polizei (police), Datei (data), Konditorei (confectionary)
• heit – Freiheit (freedom), Gesundheit (health), Sicherheit (security)
• ie – Garantie (guarantee), Fantasie (fantasy), Ökonomie (economy)
• ik – Grammatik (grammar), Mathematik (math), Musik (music)
• ion – Nation (nation), Funktion (function), Produktion (production)
• ität – Nationalität (nationality), Autorität (authority), Spontaneität (sponteneity)
• keit – Aufmerksamkeit (attention), Schwierigkeit (difficulty)
• schaft – Freundschaft (friendship), Landschaft (landscape), Gemeinschaft (community)
• ung – Erfahrung (experience), Empfehlung (recommendation), Zeitung (newspaper)
• ur – Natur (nature), Kultur (culture), Agentur (agency)

Other feminine nouns also include:

• Names of flowers – die Rose (rose), die Tulpe (tulip)
• Names of trees – die Kiefer (pine), die Buche (beech), die Eiche (oak)
• Most fruits – die Birne (pear), die Zitrone (lemon), die Melone (melon)
• Cardinal numbers – die Eins (one), die Zwei (two), die Drei (three)

In addition, feminine occupations add the ending – in .

Examples : die Lehrerin (the female teacher), die Professorin (the female professor), die Fotografin (the female photographer), die Kellnerin (the waitress)

Neuter Nouns And The Article das

Finally, the endings below usually indicate neuter ( das ) nouns.

• chen – Mädchen (girl), Häuschen (little house), 
• lein – Häuslein (little house), Mäuslein (little mouse), Fräulein (young woman)
• ma – Thema (topic), Drama (drama), Schema (diagram)
• ment – Moment (moment), Dokument (document), Experiment (experiment)
• nis – Geheimnis (secret), Gefängnis (jail), Kenntnis (knowledge)
• tel – Hotel (hotel), Viertel (quarter)
• tum – Eigentum (property), Königtum (kingdom), Christentum (christianity)
• um – Aquarium (aquarium), Museum (museum)

However, it's important to note that there are exceptions to the rules. 

Examples : die Firma (company), der Reichtum (wealth), der Irrtum (mistake), der Zement (cement)

Compound Noun Genders

In addition, many words in German combine multiple nouns into a new word.

For example:

• die Baustelle (construction site)
• der Fahrplan (the timetable)
• das Kinderbuch (children's book)

In most cases, the last word of the compound noun determines the gender. But, as usual, there are a few exceptions to the rule. 

• der Teil (part) – Some compound nouns with Teil take neuter articles: das Gegenteil (opposite), das Einzelteil (individual part), das Abteil (compartment), das Oberteil (top piece), das Ersatzteil (replacement part), das Urteil (verdict).
• der Mut (courage) – Many compound nouns containing Mut take feminine articles: die Armut (poverty), die Wehmut (sorrow), die Demut (humility), die Anmut (grace), die Großmut (generosity), die Langmut (patience).

Also, there are many other exceptions to the noun gender rules. But using the guidelines when in doubt will work 80% of the time.

Plural German Articles

Let's take a moment next to understand how plural articles work in German. Plural nouns always use the article die in the nominative and accusative cases. 

• das Mädchen (the girl) – die Mädchen (the girls)
• der Junge (the boy) – die Jungs/Jungen (the boys)
• der Mann (the man) – die Männer (the men)

But in the dative plural case, die changes to den . 

• Ich gab den Mädchen Hausaufgaben. (I gave the girls homework.)
• Wir waren überrascht, von den Jungs zu hören. (We were surprised to hear from the boys.)
• Er war beeindruckt von den Männern und ihrer Arbeit.

When declining adjectives, definite articles' plural ending is ‘ en'  in the nominative, accusative, and dative cases. 

• die amerikanisch en Mädchen (the American girls)
• Ich gab den faul en Mädchen Hausaufgaben. (I gave the lazy girls homework.)

Another reason to learn the genders of German words is to know if a noun is in its plural or singular form.

For example, the noun Mädchen (girl) is the same in both the singular and plural. So the only way to determine the sentence's meaning is by examining the articles.

How Case Affects German Articles

To choose the right article declension, you'll need to know the number, case, and gender. So you already learned how number and gender affect articles. But what about the cases?

So let's look at German articles from a slightly different angle to see how they change according to the case.

The Nominative Case

Firstly, the nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence. Notice how the feminine and plural articles are the same.

• Der/Ein Student lernt schnell. (The/A student learns fast.)
• Die/Eine Blume ist rot. (The/A flower is red.)
• Das/Ein Thema ist langweilig. (The/A topic is boring.)

All of the sentence subjects above use the nominative case of definite and indefinite articles.

The Accusative Case

Secondly, choose accusative case articles for the direct objects of sentences. The direct object of a sentence is the word receiving an action from the verb. 

Notice that neuter and feminine nouns have the same articles in both the nominative, accusative, and plural. So far, only the masculine form changes: der becomes den and ein becomes einen .

• Ich (nominative ) kaufe den/einen Tisch (accusative) . (I buy the/a table.)
• Ein Fahrer (nominative ) liefert die/eine Zeitung (accusative) . (A driver delivers the/a newspaper.)
• Meine Mutter (nominative ) liest das/ein Buch (accusative). (My mother reads the/a book.)

The Dative Case

Thirdly, in the dative case, the most drastic changes take place. Use the dative for indirect objects of a sentence. Indirect objects are typically the person or thing being affected by the direct object. 

Because the masculine and neuter articles are the same in the dative case, they're easier to remember. Meanwhile, the feminine articles change into what appears to be the masculine nominative form. 

• Der Mann (nominative masculine ) gibt den Anzug (accusative masculine) der Reinigung (dative feminine). (The man gives the suit to the dry cleaner.)
• Die Professorin (nominative feminine) gibt dem Student (dative masculine) das Buch (accusative neuter). (The professor gives the student the book.)

Now comes the exciting part. German allows you to mix up the word order, as long as you use the correct articles to indicate the direct and indirect objects. 

• Der Mann (nominative masculine ) gibt der Reinigung (dative feminine) den Anzug (accusative masculine). (The man gives the suit to the dry cleaner.)
• Die Professorin (nominative feminine) gibt das Buch (accusative neuter) dem Student (dative masculine). (The professor gives the student the book.)

Although the subject typically stays in the first position, you can place the direct and indirect object in either position in the sentence. 

Possessive Articles

In English, we show possession by adding an ‘s to a name or person. But, to indicate that something belongs to someone in German, you'll need possessive articles. You'll also need an ‘s ‘ or ‘ es' ending on the noun's end in the masculine and neuter forms. 

Once again, the masculine and neuter forms are the same, just as they are in the dative case. 

• das Fahrrad des Mann es (The man's bicycle)
• die Jacke der Frau. (The woman's jacket)
• das Geheimnis des Hotel s . (The hotel's secret.)

Usually, masculine and neuter, one-syllable words add an ‘ es' ending while multiple-syllable words add an s ending.

How To Learn German Articles 

Below are a few study tips to help you learn the German articles more effectively:

• Firstly, learn nouns and their genders together.
• Secondly, neuter, feminine, and plural articles stay the same in the nominative and accusative cases.
• Thirdly, masculine and neuter, definite and indefinite articles are the same in the dative and possessive cases. 
• Finally, the feminine indefinite articles are the same in the dative and possessive cases.

Although learning the German articles does require some memorization of charts, the similarities are simple to recognize.

By creating connections between the articles and their use, you'll learn to select the correct articles with ease.

Final Thoughts

So now you've started to master German articles, it's time to put them into use! Practice makes perfect when it comes to article declensions.

So consider watching German movies or TV series with subtitles to become more familiar with articles.

In addition, reading in German is another fantastic way to start feeling more comfortable with the articles and the general language.

Now, you're all set to speak German with more confidence and accuracy than ever before.

Bis zum nächsten mal! (Until next time)

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German Articles

If you’re searching for info on German articles, it means two things:

1) You’re serious about learning German

2) You’ve hit the same roadblock that every German student does!

Sound like you? Keep reading.

Get Unstuck With German

Finally understand hard-to-grasp German grammar concepts.

German would be a heckuva lot easier to learn if we didn’t have to worry about tricky little topics such as articles , am I right?

But we couldn’t say anything without the words the and a, for example. So articles are a must!

The good news is that there is an efficient, effective way to learn all these German articles. It doesn’t have to be tedious, overwhelming, or even very time-consuming. Intrigued? 

Key Learnings:

• all types of German articles
• how to use articles in sentences
• why conventional teaching of articles is all wrong
• how to avoid using 10 different articles charts!
• the declensions all articles need
• a better term than articles (sneakpeek: determiners )

What You Need To Know

German is classified as a different type of language from English: German is an inflected language and English is an analytic language.

Part of that difference means that, in German, we must learn slightly different ways to say the same words — for example, different articles !

Articles are little (but important) words such as ‘ the’ and ‘ a’.

There are six slightly different ways to say each of them in German.

I know that can be hard to compute for us English speakers. We have just the and a/an. 

That’s 3 English options to 12 German ones. So, we’ve got some work to do! 😊

What Are Articles?

Ooh. Tough question! The true (but unsatisfying) answer is that there can be a lot of overlapping vocabulary here. So, if you’re feeling confused, you’re not alone!

Generally speaking, what we can say for sure is that the categorization “articles” will always refer to definite articles (the 6 ways of saying ‘the’ in German) and to indefinite articles (the 6 ways of saying ‘a’ in German).

Beyond that, the waters get murky. Some people use the same term ‘articles’ to refer to other words come in front of nouns (e.g. this, that, some, all, etc.).

But you’ll also see the terms determiners, pronouns, and even adjectives coming up in discussion, with all the lines of definition between them very frustratingly blurred.

Personally, I advocate for ditching the term articles altogether (read more below!). Instead, I refer to determiners AND pronouns AND adjectives all as very clearly different types of words.

More on these useful distinctions in a bit!

Definite articles ( der, die, das, etc.)

When a German learner looks for ‘articles’, one of the first things you’ll be introduced to is a chart like this:

Or maybe this somewhat improved version:

Either way, we have a chart that tells us specifically how to say ’ the’ in German — six different ways! 

How do you pick out the correct variant of ‘the’? 

In order to pick out the version of the that you need, you have to know two things:

• What is the gender of the noun ?
• What is the case of the noun ?

For example, if you want to say the book in German, you have to know that book ( Buch ) is a neuter noun . Not masculine or feminine (and plural would obviously be books, and that’s different).

With this much information, you know that you need the das, dem, or des version of the neuter ‘the’.

Figuring out which case Buch needs to be in is the 2nd step that then whittles these three options ^^ down to just one!

I walk you through determining noun case in the Digging Deeper section below.

Indefinite articles ( ein, eine, einen, etc.)

It’s all well-and-good to learn how to say the in German. And maybe you’re thinking that one chart wasn’t so bad.

But there’s more!

Now you have to learn how to say a (and ‘not a/any’) in German, which is also obviously pretty important.

Of course, in conventional German-learning, there’s another chart for that:

Here you have the same uber-traditional version and a somewhat improved, more ‘modern’ version of the chart. But it’s a lot of tedious memorization either way.

And, of course, just as with the definite articles , you still have to learn how to know the gender and case of every noun in order to actually use the charts . Yikes.

Demonstratives ( der-words )

At this point, you might already be feeling a bit overwhelmed. But we’ve barely even gotten started! 

Now you need to learn about a 3rd type of articles called demonstratives or der-words, which are words such as every, this, that, many, etc. as in every mouse, this cat, that dog, many snakes.

Most common der-words :

all- (all) welch- (which) dies- (this) jed- (every), j en- (that) einig- (some) wenig- (few) manch- (many a, some) solch(-) (such [a]) and all other determiners !

TIP: if the determiner is not an ein-word (<– defined later), it’s a der-word by default.

Der-word declensions

Hang on, now! What are declensions?

You’ve already seen them in the definite article and indefinite article charts. But here’s a definition for you:

Declensions are endings that get put onto words (including, but not limited to, articles) so that they reflect the gender & case of the noun the follows.

Der-words all take what are called strong declensions <– rather implies that there’s at least one other type of declensions … possibly weak declensions. 😉

For example, if you want to talk about this book (‘this’ is a der-word ), you’d have these options:

nominative: dies es Buch accusative: dies es Buch dative: dies em Buch genitive: dies es Buch s

NERD ALERT: Demonstratives are also called der-words (<– a term we will continue to use!) because of the similarities of these strong declensions (that der-words use) to the different ways of saying ‘the’. Hint: it’s all about the very last letter (regardless of what different vowels might precede it!).

Possessives

If you’re thinking that this topic of articles is getting progressively harder, you’re right — it sure is.

When it comes to possessives, we have a two-fold problem:

• There are two different types (keep reading)
• There are inconsistent labeling systems (pronouns? adjectives? determiners? articles?)

Possessives indicate possession, of course, as in that’s MY book.

But, we can also say that book is MINE. 

My and mine. What is the deal with that?

• The one type — my — comes in front of a noun.
• The other type — mine — stands by itself, not in front of a noun.

German has the same two types! And YES, there are different charts for that. 

You start with the same ‘root’ word, for example: mein (my/mine). 

‘Root’ Form of Possessives

mein- (my/mine) dein- (your/yours) sein- (his) ihr- (her/hers, also their/theirs, also Your/Yours [formal]) → I know! Yikes! unser- (our/ours) euer/eur- (y’all, y’alls)

But if you want the ‘my’ version, you need to use the declensions (or endings ) from this chart, which is for ein-words (vs. der-words –more on this soon!):

If you want the mine version, you’d use the same strong declensions chart from the demonstratives above, or maybe you’d see it all spelled out like this:

If all these charts (and these are just some of them!!!) aren’t making you feel even the slightest bit burnt out on German, that amazes me. I speak German fluently (and so don’t need to use any charts anymore), but just talking about all of this makes my head ache.

Articles, the smarter way

Traditionally — as you’ve gotten a taste for above! — German students are introduced to lots and lots of separate charts for all the various words that come in front of nouns.

Not only would you have those 4 (or 5) charts from above thrown at you, but you’d also have to worry about these charts:

Relative/Demonstrative Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Indefinite Pronouns Strong Adjectives, No Determiner Weak Adjectives (With Determiner) Mixed Adjectives (with ein-word Determiners)

That’s a total of 10 charts with just itty bitty changes that somehow you have to remember.

At this point, you might be thinking that German SUCKS.

The good news is that all these charts have much more in common than not. 

That means that it’s possible to combine them all, redefine / recategorize some terms (keep reading!) and mention a handful of special exceptions (also coming up!).

The simplified All-In-One Chart you’ll discover below covers all our bases and gives you a solid foundation in German that doesn’t involve tons of mind-numbing, overwhelming, unnecessary charts.

Now, THAT sounds like something I can get behind!

Der-words & Ein-words Charts, Compared

So you can see what I mean about all the separate charts having more in common than not, compare the der-word (a.k.a. strong declensions ) chart & chart for ein-words (<– NOT the weak declensions chart … that’s something else and we’ll talk about it later).

Can you see the similarities and differences?

That’s it! Except for in 3 spots, they are exactly the same.

The spots where the declensions are different are:

• masculine nominative
• neuter nominative
• neuter accusative

Now, look back at the definite article chart and the two possessives charts and you’ll see that they line up the same way! All those declensions are the same except for just the same three spots.

So, now the golden question: if there are just THREE exception spots (<–out of 16, not bad!), why on earth do we have to study so many different charts?

I thought you’d never ask. That’s exactly it! YOU DON’T.

ALL of those 10 charts (including the 3 on adjectives that I cover here and the charts on pronouns here) fit together nicely with primarily overlapping material.

All-In-One Chart combines both charts (and MORE)!

Now, look again at the der-words and ein-words charts with this new All-In-One Chart underneath them for easy reference.

The All-In-One Chart overlays them both!

What about our 3 exception spots? Those are taken care of, too!

In these three spots, the indefinite article, the possessives, and a couple other words don’t take declensions. More on that soon!

How exactly to read & use the All-In-One Chart will be covered in depth below. Keep reading!

Digging Deeper

In this section, you will learn how to master declensions with the All-In-One Declensions Chart including learning about:

• how to determine noun gender
• how to determine noun case
• basic declensions patterns
• types of words that need declensions
• der-words vs. ein-words
• types of declensions

You’ll also learn why you can forget about articles and what terminology / concept to focus on instead! Let’s start there.

Forget About Articles 

In order to properly use the All-In-One Declensions Chart, you need to forget all about the different charts for definite and indefinite articles, demonstratives, and possessives!!! 

Remember instead that all of these words are simply determiners (that, of course, each have their own distinct meanings of the, a, this, my, etc.).

Determiners is a big, overarching category that includes all the different types of ‘articles’ plus a bunch of other words (e.g. pronouns) that all take the same declensions in the same way (even if their function within the sentence is different, as in the case between determiners & pronouns ).

Determiners are all sorts of little words — like some, many, a few, every, not any, this, and that — that tell us how many or which one as in ‘many apples’ or ‘this apple’ . 

ALL determiners are split into JUST two groups: ein-words & der-words (<– you’ll find out why this is an important distinction soon)!

EIN-words : ein (a), irgendein (any), kein (not a / any), and all possessives ( mein, dein, etc.)

DER-words : der/die/das (the), welch- (which), dies- (this), jed- (every), jen- (that), einig- (some), wenig- (few) and all other determiners !

TIP: if the determiner is not an ein-word, it’s a der-word by default .

All determiners — because they come in front of nouns as part of the noun phrase — need to have declensions. The only other type of word that needs declensions are adjectives, covered separately .

Types of Declensions

Instead of stressing out over many types of kinda-different, kinda-the-same declensions, when we cleverly combine it all, there are actually only two types of declensions:

• Strong declensions better (but not flawlessly) indicate the gender/case of the noun because they are the most varied.
• Weak declensions do not indicate the gender/case of the noun because they have almost no variation (there are just two options: -e or -en).

You’ve already seen an example of the conventional strong declensions chart:

And the conventional weak declensions(and also a mixed declensions chart, that is part-strong, part-weak) applies only to adjectives, not determiners.

Using the All-In-One Declensions Chart

Instead of memorizing chart after chart of the many possible solutions, we can simply memorize the formula which lets us ‘plug in’ any word that needs a declension.

We can replace ALL of the conventional charts listed above.

How The Chart Works

What all the charts on that long list above have in common are the very last letters that get put onto the words.

And those letters (-r, -e, -s, -n, -m) are the declensions or endings . We add them to the ends of determiners & adjectives to ‘flag’ the roles of the nouns that follow.

Initially referencing individual charts that add the declensions onto the determiners for you might arguably make sense for a very, very new German learner.

BUT it is a crutch that will hold you back in your German studies in the long-run.

So, I strongly recommend working with the All-In-One Chart as soon as possible!

Instead of attempting to memorize those 10 charts (up to 160 words!!!), you can learn smarter, not harder by memorizing just the declensions themselves.

How to Pick the Right Declension

When you work with the full All-In-One Declensions Chart (I’m sharing just the relevant portion with you in this article!), there are additional directions-for-use that go into it.

But when it’s simply a matter of picking the right declension for your determiner (so, we’re saving the discussion on adjectives for another day), then the process is extra easy.

You need to know:

• the gender of the noun you’re using
• which case it’s supposed to be in
• if the determiner you’re using is an ein-word in one of the 3 exception spots

How to Know the Gender of Any German Noun

One way to wrestle with German noun gender is to simply memorize every noun connected with either der, die, or das so that you (hopefully) remember what gender that noun has:

der Hund (the dog [masculine]) die Katze (the cat [feminine]) das Pferd (the horse [neuter])

BUT there is actually a lot of pattern behind the German noun gender system — and knowing those patterns can save you a lot of time, guesswork, and mistakes. 

We can categorize German nouns according to group or form.

Noun Group Examples (<– click for full list!):

Masculine ( der ):

• Male persons and animals
• rocks and minerals 
• monetary units 

Feminine ( die ):

• Female persons and animals
• Rivers within German, Austria, Switzerland
• Trees, fruits, and flowers

Neuter ( das ):

• Young persons and baby animals
• names of continents, cities, provinces, and most countries
• letters of the alphabet and music notes

Noun Form Examples (<– click for full list!):

The end of nouns, or, the suffix frequently determines the gender of the noun.

There are certain suffixes that are almost exclusively masculine, feminine, and neuter. 

Masculine: -ant, -ast, -ich, -ig, -ismus, -ling, -or, -us

Feminine: -a, -anz, -enz, -ei, -ie, -heit, -keit, -ik, -sion, -tion, -sis, -tät, -ung, -ur, schaft

Neuter: -chen, -lein, -icht, -il, -it, -ma, -ment, -tel, -tum, -um

How to Know Which Case to Use

The case of each noun in a sentence indicates what role it is playing in the sentence and therefore also shows its relationship to (i.e. how it’s interacting with ) the other nouns in the sentence.

Think of the four cases as ‘slots’ in a sentence that we must/may fill up with nouns.

The general rules of thumb are:

• Always fill up the  nominative  ‘slot’ first — every sentence needs a subject! (And every subject needs a verb !)
• Default to filling up the accusative ‘slot’ next unless…
• If you’re using a dative verb, preposition, or adjective: the associated noun must be in the dative ‘slot’, not the accusative.
• You can pretty much forget about the genitive case. 

Basic Declension Patterns

In this guide, we are focusing on determiners (we talk about adjectives here). 

All you need to know about the declension’s determiners need is this:

ALL determiners will ALWAYS take the strong declension …

Except … if you’re using an ein-word determiner ( do you remember this distinction from above? ) with a noun in the:

• neuter nominative 

Only ein-words only in these 3 spots behave differently by taking no declension.

This graphic shows you what I mean (note: patterns #3 & #4 aren’t covered here and can be saved for a later date in your German-learning!):

BONUS: Now you have a sneak-peek into which declensions 😀

All-in-One Declensions Chart

Learning how to work with the All-In-One Chart will still save you heaps of time and energy compared to working with ten different charts!

Again, if you know your noun’s gender & case and whether you’re using an ein-word in one of the 3 exception spots, you will always know which declension your determiner needs.

REMEMBER: Determiners always use the strong declension unless the determiner in an ein-word and it’s being used in the masculine nominative, neuter nominative, or neuter accusative.

Here, again, is the abbreviated chart (no weak declensions listed). For the full chart and how to use it, r ead my guide on declensions .

Because the All-In-One Chart replaces 10 charts , we have to boil declensions down to the essentials that are all shared in common: the very last letter.

That is why the All-In-One Declensions Chart has just one letter in each spot.

What you need to remember is: (almost) always add an ‘e’ in front of the listed declension.

Exceptions (i.e. When NOT to add an ‘e’):

• feminine & plural nominative & accusative
• feminine nominative & accusative: di e , use an ‘i’
• also plural nominative & accusative: di e
• neuter nominative & accusative: da s , with an ‘a’

Click for a complete discussion of this chart detail in my guide on declensions.

Examples Using The All-In-One Declensions Chart

In this guide on adjectives and this guide on pronouns, we’ll thoroughly discuss how the All-In-One Chart replaces those charts from our scary list of 10 from way above.

But now, let’s look at specific examples of the other determiners (that you may hear referred to as articles ) can be ‘plugged in’ to the chart to give you the results you need!

Definite Articles (‘the’)

Let’s take the noun Tür (door) and plug it into chart!

Tür is a feminine noun — die Tür.

If we put it into each of the possible cases, it would look like this:

nominative: die Tür accusative: die Tür dative: der Tür genitive: der Tür

Notice the strong declension each time, of course!

Then, for example, let’s say we want to make door plural → Türen (doors) and re-plug it in under the plurals column:

nominative: die Türen accusative: die Türen dative: den Türen genitive: der Türen

Here’s another example on how to use the determiner ‘the’ with the All-In-One chart .

Indefinite Article (‘a’)

Now, let’s work with a masculine noun: Teller (plate) and plug it into the 4 cases:

nominative: ein Teller accusative: einen Teller dative: einem Teller genitive: eines Tellers

Do you see the one (of 3) exceptions spots at play here? YES, in the nominative! We need to use just ein Teller , with no declension on the ein! But then in the rest of the spots, we’re back to our regular, strong declensions we always put on whatever determiner we’re using. Nice work.

NOTE: Read here if you’re curious why there is an ‘s’ on the end of Teller in the genitive.

Of course, we can’t mix the determiner ‘a’ with a plural noun (we can say ‘ a plates’ ), so we have to skip that! 

I gave you a good list of der-words above (and there are more!), but let’s look at the common jed- (every) now and pair it with Teller still.

nominative: jeder Teller accusative: jeden Teller dative: jedem Teller genitive: jedes Tellers

Since jed- is not an ein-word (obviously, right? :p), we don’t have to worry about any possible exceptions — just strong declensions straight through!

OK, so here we need to look at examples for our two types of possessives. Remember, we have the one variety ( my, your, our, etc.) that comes in front of nouns and the other ( mine, yours, ours, etc.) that stands alone.

The possessives that come in front of nouns could most accurately be called possessive determiners . They belong to our category of ein-words ! That means they will take strong declensions except in our 3 exceptions spots. 

Possessive Determiners Example:

Let’s say the phrase my pillow in every case. Pillow is Kissen (a neuter noun). And our ‘root’ possessive determiner (that is the basis for both the possessives my AND mine ) is mein.

nominative: mein Kissen accusative: mein Kissen dative: meinem Kissen genitive: meines Kissens

Do you see the regular, strong declensions in the dative & genitive cases? But the nominative and accusative cases are two of our three exception spots! 

Possessive Pronouns Example:

Technically, the best term for the ‘stand-alone’ possessives is possessive pronouns (because pronouns take the place of nouns / noun phrases). 

For example, instead of saying That pillow is my pillow (<–redundant!), we can use the possessive pronoun mine and say That pillow is mine. The possessive pronoun mine replaces the noun phrase my pillow .

Whenever we use a possessive pronoun, the strong declension is needed!

nominative: meins accusative: meins dative: meinem genitive: meines

So, that is how you’d say mine for a neuter noun (e.g. Kissen ) in each case. Do you see it?

Main Takeaways

• German is an inflected language that uses declensions to indicate the case of each noun (who is doing what to whom) in any given sentence. 
• Since German nouns also have gender, this feature also has to be taken into account when figuring out the right declensions to use in each situation.
• It is specifically determiners & adjectives (the words that come in front of nouns )that take declensions that indicate the noun’s gender & case.
• It is more accurate to refer to articles as determiners. Determiners are little words ( the, a, some, few, etc.) that tell us which one or how many.
• There are strong and weak declensions AND also 3 instances when no declension is used.
• All possible declensions are r-, n, -e, -m, and -s.Which one you use when depends on if your noun is masculine, feminine, neuter, or plural AND whether it’s in the nominative, accusative, dative, or genitive case AND which declensions pattern you’re using (e.g. do you need to put declensions on just a determiner? just an adjective? on both? etc.)
• Determiners always take the strong declension except in those 3 instances!
• Declensions follow two standard patterns, and then there’s a 3rd exception pattern that occurs in just 3 instances when specifically an ein-word determiner is used.
• Rather than studying 10 different charts of various words with their attached declensions, you can memorize just ONE chart of declensions only and learn the simple rules for how to know when to use which one.
• If you are a super-duper newbie, I could see using the conventional declensions charts (with the declensions put on the desired word, e.g. the, for you) for a while. But not forever! Switch over to using the All-In-One Chart as soon as possible. The conventional charts help you crawl forward, but the All-In-One Chart lets you run!
• Practice using the right terminology: forget about articles, and use the term determiner instead. Make sure that you learn the ‘root’ determiner so that all you have to do it plug it in anywhere in the chart to get the answer you’re looking for!
• Memorize the short list of ein-words : ein, kein, irgendein, and all of the possessive determiners (<– possessives USED as determiners vs. used as pronouns). Remember that EVERY other determiner (the most common and also the most rarely used!) will be a der-word by default, which means it will ALWAYS take the strong declension — no exceptions!
• Drill into your head the THREE exception spots on the chart where it actually matters if your determiner is an ein-word or not: masculine nominative, neuter nominative, neuter accusative. Invest extra practice into writing sentences with masculine / neuter nouns in those cases so that you get super-used to the difference between using the strong declension for the der-words and no declension for the ein-words !
• Write write write. Write lots of noun phrases, lots of complete sentences. Be repetitive at first, always reusing the same nouns, but changing up the determiner and/or case. Be systematic. Keep the phrases / sentences boring on purpose because you’re focusing on the grammar. Once the grammar is properly seeped through to your very core, then you can get into creative writing!

On This Page

• Accusative Case
• Dative Case
• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Der Die Das: Your Essential Guide
• Genitive Case
• German Cases
• German Declensions
• German Nominative Case
• German Noun Gender
• German Plurals
• Masculine or Feminine?
• Nominative Vs. Accusative Case

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German Articles Made Simple: What They Are and How to Learn Them

Why does German have so many articles? No wonder you can’t remember them all!

In this article, I’ll tell you exactly how to learn German articles quickly and easily. 

Let’s get started! 

What Are Articles?

• The Definite Articles: Der, Die and Das
• The Indefinite Articles: Ein and Eine

Demonstrative Articles

Possessive articles, how to remember german articles, guess noun genders strategically, use straightforward memorization, remember set phrases.

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German articles, which are roughly the equivalent of the and a in English , go alongside nouns. They indicate whether you’re referring to a specific noun ( the box) or an unspecified noun ( a box).

German articles take many forms to indicate a lot more information about the structure of a sentence.

German articles are spelled differently in different cases. A noun’s case indicates its relationship to other words in the sentence, like whether it’s the subject or object of a sentence.

There are four cases. Put (very) simply, a noun that’s the subject of a sentence is nominative , a noun that’s the direct object is accusative , a noun that’s the indirect object is dative and a noun that belongs to something else (i.e. showing possession) is genitive.

German articles also indicate the gender of the noun they’re referring to.

German has three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine and neuter . The rules for determining which nouns are in each category are very complex. Many of them simply have to be memorized.

German articles also change depending on whether the noun is singular or plural. Read our complete guide to plural nouns in German here . 

The Definite Articles:  Der, Die  and  Das

Definite articles are the equivalent of the .

Here’s what they look like in each case, for each gender.

Let’s have a look at some examples of these.

Ich gebe dem Lehrer den Apfel. (I give an apple to the teacher.)

Here, Lehrer  (teacher) is a singular, masculine noun in the dative case. Apfel  (apple) is a singular, masculine noun in the accusative case.

Sie sah das Auto der Ärztin. (She saw the car of the [female] doctor.)

And in this example, Ärztin (doctor) is a singular, feminine noun in the genitive case. Auto  (car) is a singular, neuter noun in the accusative case.

The Indefinite Articles:  Ein  and  Eine

Indefinite articles are the equivalent of a/an .

In German, the indefinite article can have various different forms, and like in English, there’s no plural form. When it’s used without an adjective, it takes on a form remarkably similar to the definite article.

Here are a couple of examples to illustrate that usage.

Hier ist eine Frau. (Here is a woman.)

Easy! A singular, feminine noun in the nominative case.

Hier ist eine Frau mit einem Glas. (Here is a woman with a glass.)

Now we’ve added  Glas (glass), a singular, neuter noun in the dative case.

So you see, with no adjective between the article and the noun, the indefinite article behaves very much like the definite article.

What happens when we add an adjective?

In that case, the adjective must also be modified depending on the gender and case.

I’ll add the adjective gut  (good) to the chart above to illustrate:

Now, there are additional rules about adjective declension (modifying a word for gender/case) that fall beyond the scope of this particular discussion.

The most important thing for you to learn right now is how to internalize the gender of each noun.

Demonstrative articles are a way of specifying a specific noun, usually to the exclusion of another: Not these pineapples, those pineapples.

The demonstrative articles in English are this , that , these , and those . German, on the other hand, only has one– well, one base, dies- , which takes an ending just like other articles. This is how they work in each case and gender:

You’ll notice it’s pretty much identical to the other charts. The main difference is that dies doesn’t typically stand alone as a base word, the way ein or das do.

Let’s look at some demonstrative articles in action.

Dieser Mann wohnt in diesem Haus. (This man lives in this house.)

Ich nehme diese Jacke mit. (I take this jacket with me.)

Possessive articles (also called possessive adjectives or possessive pronouns) are pronouns that show ownership of another noun, like his , your , or our . They may seem tricky at first, since there’s so many pronouns, but they function just like every other article in terms of case and gender.

Let’s first go through all of the pronouns we have to work with:

Mein , sein , and dein are all basically ein with an extra letter at the beginning: they function the exact same way.

That leaves ihr/Ihr , euer , and unser . By now you can probably guess where this is going.

In the neuter form, ihr/Ihr , euer , and unser all stay exactly the same. In the feminine case an -e is added to the end; in the masculine, an -er .

And they change for cases just like normal.

The only unusual one is euer . Whenever an ending is added, the second e is dropped. So the masculine becomes eurer instead of euerer, the feminine becomes eure instead of euere , and so on. This may look a little strange on paper, but it’s a lot more natural in speech to say eurem instead of euerem . In all likelihood, you’ll stop noticing it at all after a few practices.

Why is it that Germans know this stuff and we don’t?

It just sounds right to them to say die Brücke  (the bridge) instead of das Brücke , in the same way that English speakers think “change a diaper” sounds better than “switch a diaper.”

Native speakers simply don’t get confused about articles. By hearing, reading and speaking German every day for hours on end since childhood, they’ve absorbed these articles in a fundamental way.

Fortunately, there are a few ways to really nail German articles without that time commitment.

Any student of German will probably tell you that the single hardest part of speaking correctly is remembering which article goes with which noun based on its gender.

Perhaps even more so if they’re coming from a language like Italian or Russian, where a word’s gender is fairly predictable based on how it’s spelled.

It turns out though, that German word gender is predictable to an extent as well. You can get most of the way by knowing four things:

• Two-thirds of one-syllable words are masculine . If you guess, you’ve got a good chance of being right!
• Certain word endings are always feminine :  -ei, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ung
• Certain word endings are always neuter :  -chen, -ium,-lein, -o, -um
• And here are the ones that are always masculine :  -er, -ich, -ismus, -ist

You can now guess the gender of the vast majority of German nouns!

The stricter you are with yourself when starting out, the better you’ll do memorizing German articles forever.

That means regularly checking yourself on the words you know and the words you’re learning. You can do this very simply.

• Take a German word list that you’re familiar with, perhaps from a textbook, and copy it down without the articles.
• Go do something else for a few minutes to get your mind briefly distracted.
• Come back and try to rewrite all the articles from memory.

If pencil and paper isn’t your thing, you can try an app like Der Die Das on Android or German Articles Buster on iOS .

It might sound like a real grind. But by applying yourself and really forcing yourself to make these things automatic in your speech and writing, you’ll save lots of time in the long run.

Once you can reliably produce the article for any given noun you know (putting you, to be honest, well above most German learners), you have to turn that into real language use.

Simply look at a bit of running text like a short article or a subtitled video. Then write down or otherwise point out to yourself the noun phrases. For example, take this line:

In einem deutschen Gasthaus würde man niemals einen Fernseher mit Basketball im Hintergrund sehen. (In a German restaurant one would never see a TV with basketball in the background.)

From this, we can easily parse out the phrases  in einem deutschen Gasthaus , einen Fernseher sehen and in dem Hintergrund .

That means in the future when you want to say, for instance, “in a Mexican restaurant” you can simply switch the adjective while keeping the endings intact: in ein em mexikanisch en Gasthaus .

This way, you pick up and reinforce the adjective ending rules automatically! Again, this is more memorization but just think of it as a fast track to a native-level Sprachgefühl , or “language feeling.”

The more actual German content you read and listen to, the less you’ll have to consciously memorize these patterns.

One way to do this is by using a language learning program such as FluentU, which uses authentic video content, such as music videos and movie trailers, to help you learn in an immersive way.

There are even additional features such as interactive subtitles and personalized quizzes that will save you lots of time by taking the guesswork out of the sentence meanings, so you can focus on the articles themselves. 

So there you have it! Now you’re all set to waltz into a beer hall and confidently order a drink using the exact right German articles.

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Top tricks for der, die and das: navigating the german articles.

You’ve just set out to learn German , and, being the Überflieger (high-flyer) you are, you’ve bought yourself a shiny new German grammar book. You sit in front of it, tentatively thumbing the front cover. Self-congratulation quickly turns to apprehension. You know that as soon as you open that book you’ll be thrust headfirst into the brain-busting world of German nouns and those mischievous little articles: der , die and das .

Before we address the German articles, let’s remind ourselves of what a noun is and how an English noun differs from a German one.

Nouns are words which name things, places, ideas, processes or living creatures, and in German they’re always written with a capital letter. As in English, German nouns are often preceded by the definite (the) or indefinite article (a/an) or another determiner (e.g. some/any), as well as an adjective or two. When you place these three things together, you create what we grammarians call a noun phrase .

English Noun Phrase: the funny teacher German Noun Phrase:   der lustige Lehrer

German nouns can be masculine, feminine or neuter, and this gender affects the form of the articles (and the adjectives) we use. Let’s look at the articles.

Feminine: die Frau (the woman)

Masculine: der Mann (the man)

Neuter: das Kind (the child)

German learners (and many native German speakers) often report that there’s no rhyme or reason behind their uses, and that the gender of nouns simply has to be learned by heart. This is only partly true: there are plenty of noun endings which always collocate with certain articles.

For example, any noun ending in -ung , -schaft , -keit or -heit will always be feminine, so it’ll go with the article die . In fact, just that one little observation enables you to cover a huge range of nouns — Dankbarkeit (Gratitude), Wichtigkeit (Importance), Freundschaft (Friendship), Bedeutung (Meaning), Entscheidung (Decision) — You don’t even need to know the meaning of the word to know that they’re all feminine! Magic, eh! So let’s take a look at a few more rules for der , die and das . Sit back, relax, peruse and absorb the tables below.

When To Use Die

The large majority of nouns which end in -e are feminine, so die Lampe (the lamp), die Rede (the speech), and die Bühne (the stage).

When To Use Der

The majority of singular nouns ending in -er are masculine, so der Sommer (the summer), der Lehrer (the [male] teacher), der Angeber (the show-off), der Besitzer (the [male] owner), der Amerikaner (the [male] American) or der Bestatter (the [male] undertaker).

When To Use Das

The large majority of nouns beginning with Ge- are neuter, so das Gesetz (the law), das Gespräch (the conversation) or das Gebäude (the building) — BUT die Geschichte (probably the most common of the anomalous Ge- nouns) bucks the trend by taking the feminine form. We recommend you pay particular attention to the feminine noun endings, as these crop up very frequently. You should also ensure you internalize the gender of every new noun you learn — don’t just learn Lehrer , learn the word with its definite article: der Lehrer . This way you’ll begin to naturally couple articles with nouns, and this will facilitate your use of the German cases (the next little grammatical hurdle in the German language).

Got all that? Let’s make sure! Here’s a short quiz on der, die and das to see how much you’ve retained. Don’t worry if you do poorly, you can just scroll back up and keep studying.

Learn German Easily

Created by Lucas Kern

German Articles: der die das

In German we have three main articles (gender of nouns):

• der (masculine),
• die (feminine) and
• das (neuter)

Tip: The grammatical gender doesn’t follow a logical set of rules. So, always learn German nouns and articles together.

This page is about the 3 German articles. If you want to start even easier, visit the page where I explain the German alphabet .

Table of Contents: The 3 German Articles

• Listen: Examples with der die das
• Q/A Listening Exercise: German Articles
• How to find the correct German articles
• Der Die Das Quiz

1. Listen: Examples with der, die, das

How to learn with part A of the exercise

• Have a look at the picture.
• Read and listen a few times.
• Repeat after the speaker.
• Make sure that you imitate the pronunciation of the speaker.
• After a few repetitions go on to part B (farther below).

Tip:   Always try to imagine the situations in your mind; it will help you to remember the words!

der Mann the man

Der Mann liest. The man is reading.

die Frau the woman

Die Frau isst. The woman is eating.

der Junge the boy

Der Junge trinkt. The boy is drinking.

das Mädchen* the girl

Das Mädchen schreibt. The girl is writing.

Note: * das Mädchen

Maybe you wonder why we don’t use the article die  when we use the word Mädchen  (girl). After all it is a female person, right?

Well, I know it is strange and I exaplain it here  chen in German – Diminutive .

2. Q/A Listening Exercise: German Articles

How to learn with part B of the exercise

Question and Answer Part:

• Read and listen a few times to the questions and answers.
• Answer the questions in the pauses (you may look also at the answers).
• After a few times don’t look at the answers anymore.
• Make sure that you imitate the pronunciation of my voice.
• Repeat the lesson until you can answer the questions easily.

Wer liest – der Mann oder die Frau?  Who reads – the man or the woman?

Answer: Der Mann Der Mann liest . The man reads. / The man is reading.

Wer isst – die Frau oder der Mann? Who eats – the woman or the man?

Die Frau Die Frau isst. The woman eats. / The woman is eating.

Wer trinkt – das Mädchen oder der Junge? Who drinks – the girl or the boy?

Der Junge Der Junge trinkt. The boy drinks. / The boy is drinking.

Und wer schreibt – die Frau oder das Mädchen? And who writes – the woman or the girl?

Das Mädchen Das Mädchen schreibt. The girl writes. / The girl is writing.

You should also know what the  German plural article  is.

Don't stop now - repeat this part again!

Repeat this lesson until you can easily answer the questions.

3. How to find the correct German articles

The best way to get familiar to the gender of the German articles is to listening a lot to the German language.

I don’t recommend learning words by heart but if you like to memorize words you should never learn just the nouns!

Always try to remember also the main articles der , die and das .

The grammatical gender in German doesn’t follow a logical set of rules but there are some noun endings (suffixes) which give us a hint .

However, be careful, it does not always work!

By the way, have a look at the English endings too. A lot of English and German words are similar.

German Nouns with Article: der (list)

der Häft ling (the prisoner) der Früh ling (the spring) der Flücht ling (the refugee) der Säug ling (the infant) der Lehr ling (the apprentice) der Zwil ling (the twin)

der Optim ist (the optim ist ) der Pian ist (the pian ist ) der Poliz ist (the policeman) der Spezial ist (the special ist )

der Hum or (the hum or ) der Dokt or (the doct or ) der Tres or (the safe) der Profess or (the profess or ) der Mot or (the mot or )

der Ego ismus (the egoism) der Tour ismus (the tourism) der Pazif ismus (the pacifism)

der Hör er (the receiver) der Jäg er (the hunter) der Käf er (the bug, the beetle) der Körp er (the body) der Tig er (the tiger) der Bäck er (the baker) der Donn er (the thunder)

German Nouns with Article: die (list)

die Müdig keit (the tiredness) die Süßig keit (the sweetness, the candy) die Fähig keit (the ability) die Häufig keit (the frequency) die Flüssig keit (the liquid, the fluid) die Geschwindig keit (the speed, the velocity) die Fröhlich keit (the joyfulness)

die Port ion (the port ion ) die Reg ion (the reg ion ) die Stat ion (the stat ion ) die Reakt ion (the react ion ) die Situat ion (the situat ion ) die Nat ion (the nat ion ) die Tradit ion (the tradit ion ) 

die Feig heit (the cowardice) die Schön heit (the beauty) die Klug heit (the cleverness) die Blöd heit (the stupidity) die Dumm heit (the foolishness)

die Intellig enz (the intelligence) die Konsequ enz (the consequence) die Frequ enz (the frequency) die Exist enz (the existence) die Differ enz (the difference) die Tend enz (the tendency)

die Normali tät (the normality) die Speziali tät (the speciality) die Elektrizi tät (the electricity) die Flexibili tät (the flexibility) die Kontinui tät (the continuity)

die Änder ung (the change) die Abteil ung (the department) die Einlad ung (the invitation) die Anleit ung (the instruction) die Forsch ung (the research)

German Nouns with Article: das (list) 

das Schulzeug nis (the school certificate) das Gedächt nis (the memory) das Erleb nis (the experience) das Geheim nis (the secret) das Hinder nis (the obstacle)

das Doku ment (the docu ment ) das Sorti ment (the assort ment ) das Ze ment (the ce ment ) das Komple ment (the comple ment ) das Medika ment (the medication, the medicine) das Instru ment (the instru ment )

4. Der Die Das Quiz – Click the start button

Take it now and see how good you are!

⬆️ Up here is the quiz!

Scroll up a little after pressing the start button to see the question.

Here is more for you

You should also repeat the following:

• Learn the pronunciation of the German alphabet with ease
• Similar words in English and German
• The plural article in German
• Indefinite articles: ein, eine

And here are some blog articles that might interest you 

• How to learn German fast
• Check out these long words in German and impress your friends
• Castles of Germany – from Neuschwanstein (Cinderella’s) to Frankenstein’s Castle

If you want to dig deeper into the subject matter of the articles, have a look at Collins Dictionary . They also explain the German articles.

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The 3 German Articles: der, die, das

In English, the article “the” is very simple, but the same thing does not happen in German. Here we present you with the 3 German articles der, die, and das.

Intermediate

• How To Understand German Definite Articles: Der, Die, Das

Little Helpers That Make German Definite Articles Easier

Definite article genders based on actual genders, topic-based gender rules, what about the indefinite articles, importance of learning the articles in german.

• Tips For Learning the German Definit Articles der, die, das and Indefinite Articles ein and eine

In English, the article “the” is very simple, and no one really ever thinks about it – why would they? However, when learning another language like German, it might be hard to grasp why on earth anyone would make articles so complicated.

And they can be very tricky – not just in German but probably in most other European languages, too. Different languages often use a male and a female “the,” so every noun has a gender.  In German , it gets even more complicated because the German articles are used with three genders – female, male, and neutral (der, die, and das).

Moreover, the female article “die” is the same word as the plural article. But the good news is, in opposition to other languages,  all plural nouns  have the same article (die), no matter the singular gender.

Don’t start worrying, though. Articles in German may be challenging but are definitely manageable. Let us tell you more about them in plain English – and you’ll learn when and how to use “der,” “die,” or “das.”

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How To Understand German Definite Articles:  Der ,  Die ,  Das

As said before, in the German language, every noun has a gender – either masculine (männlich), feminine (weiblich), or neuter (sächlich).

For masculine nouns, the article “der” is used; for feminine nouns – “die”; and “das” – for neutral nouns.

The gender of a noun does not say anything about an actual gender of an object – we’re talking about  grammatical gender  now. So, if you think you could guess the gender of the noun because you think this object is rather male or female, you thought wrong.

For example, for a lot of people, the moon is female, and the sun is male. In German, it’s the other ways round, though – “der Mond” and “die Sonne.”

The genders for nouns are completely random and don’t follow the rules. The only thing is, when something is actually female or male, you can be sure it’s “die” or “der” – for example, “die Frau” (the woman) and “der Mann” (the man).

Because of that, it’s important to  always learn the grammatical gender and the article  when learning a  noun  – it’s just a part of the process of learning the German language.

Fortunately, there are some key indicators that might help you know the gender in German right away. There are some exceptions to this rule, of course – but in most cases, it’s possible to guess the gender by the word endings.

1. Male “der”:  Nouns ending with  -ling, -ig, -ner, -smus, -er, -or, -eur, -ent, -ant, -is, -oge  or  -us

Examples:  der Generator ,  der Frühling ,  der Honig ,  der Rentner ,  der Psychologe ,  der Kapitalismus  (BUT  die Synagoge )

2. Female “die” : Nouns ending with – ung, -ie, -ei, -keit, heit, schaft, –tät, -ik, -(t)ion, -ur, -ar, -ät, -a, -in, -ine,  or  -euse

Examples:  die Zeitung ,  die Komödie ,  die Rentnerin ,  die Bäckerei ,  die Tätigkeit ,  die Schönheit ,  die Mannschaft ,  die Universität ,  die Musik,  and  die Situation . (BUT  der Flur )

3. Neutrer “das” : Nouns ending with  -chen, -lein, -ment, -tum, -ma, -um, -nis  or  -ium

Examples:  das Mädchen ,  das Fräulein ,  das Engagement ,  das Judentum ,  das Schema  and  das Museum ,  das Zeugnis ,  das Auditorium  (BUT die Erlaubnis)

Therefore, if you care to memorize which version of “the” pairs up with which word ending, you will be able to use the correct articles much more naturally. However, learning the correct article along with the nouns is still important and will save you much trouble.

As stated above, nouns that relate to  male living or animal beings  are masculine and come with the male  gender “der.”  For example, “der Mann” (man), “der Vater” (father), and “der König” (king) all describe male people. “Der Hengst” (stallion) or “der Hahn” (rooster) refer to male animals.

And the same can be said about  female living things . For example, “die Frau” (woman), “die Mutter” (mother) and “die Königin” (queen) refer to female humans. “Die Stute” (mare) and “die Henne” (hen) refer to female animals.

There are some exceptions, of course – like “das Mädchen” (girl) and “das Fräulein” (Miss), which are neutral words. That is because girls weren’t thought to be women yet when the German grammar rules were created, and so they didn’t have the female article.

Still, today, as we learned before, nouns ending with  -Chen  and  -lein  are usually neutral words, so these two also follow that rule.

When it comes to jobs and professions, some family members, or relationship status, there are distinctions between male and female, too.

Examples : “der Polizist” (male police officer), “die Polizist in ” (female police officer), “der Lehrer” (male teacher) die Lehrer in ” (female teacher), “der Cousin” (male cousin), “die Cousi ne ” (female cousin), “der Freund” (male friend) “die Freund in ” (female friend).

Some nouns that are under a certain umbrella usually have the same gender (although there are also some exceptions, as usual).

• Nouns almost always used with masculine “der“: – Days, months, seasons – eg. “der Montag”, “der Januar”, “der Winter”;– Directions – eg. “der Norden” (north);– Brands of cars/trains – “der Mercedes”, “der ICE” (long-distance train).
• Nouns almost always used with feminine “die“: – Numbers – “die Eins” (the one);– Names of ships/aircrafts/motorbikes – “die Titanic”, “die Harley-Davidson”.
• Nouns generally used with the neuter, “das“: – Colors as nouns – “das Rot” (the red);– Words related to science/technology/mechanics.

Just like definite articles “der,” “die,” and “das,” there are two indefinite articles in the German language:  ein ,  eine  (and  ein as well for the neuter gender) . These are the alternatives for the English “a” and “an.” Those don’t have a plural form (unlike the definite article  die ).

When choosing the right indefinite article, you have to look at the gender of the noun – for example, “der Mann.” Then, conjugate the article in the necessary case to fit the noun, and you’ve got the correct form.

Let’s Sum Up

• There are three definite articles in German – der, die, das; and two indefinite articles – in eine;
• German articles are used with the nouns based on their gender – masculine (der), feminine (die), and neuter (das);
• Grammatical gender doesn’t equal the real gender of the object it identifies, and some nouns can have very unexpected genders – such as “das Mädchen” (girl).
• There are several rules that can help you choose the right article – however, the best method is to learn German articles together with their nouns.

The German language relies on the articles in each sentence and within the sentence structure; the adjectives and pronouns are based on the articles; and we surely can’t leave out the  German cases . It is therefore essential to learn how to use the articles correctly – as they’re a part of the foundation of your German language learning process.

However, learning German articles can be tricky, especially when taken into account that German nouns can have really unexpected genders. However, we have some helpful ideas.

Tips For Learning the German Definit Articles  der ,  die ,  das  and Indefinite Articles  ein  and  eine

When you’ve engraved in your brain to see the article and the noun as being inseparable, it’s much easier to learn them along with the noun. To make it easier to learn them, we recommend using  mnemonic techniques .

For example, you can simply choose your own three colors for the three articles and just write down the nouns with the color of your choice, e.g., female nouns are red, male nouns are blue and neutral nouns are green.

You can even go further and imagine if you can, a female sun or a male moon with a big beard. The more ridiculous but gender-specific you visualize it, the easier it might be for you to remember it. Our brains love fun and learn and remember everything much easier when they enjoy the process.

Another trick is to not just write down the nouns in a vocabulary list but use them – speak, listen and read. The easiest way for a perfect listening and reading practice is by using the  Readle – learn German App .

No matter whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, you can read interesting stories and hear them read out loud by a native speaker. That will help you practice using German articles on a daily basis – and soon, you won’t hesitate between choosing “der,” “die,” or “das.”

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Der, Die,Das: How to Master the German Articles

• September 30, 2017

What are German articles?

The German language uses grammatical genders. This means that the language has different categories that a noun can fall into. German isn't the only language to use gender. Spanish and French are among the many other that use them too. 

In German there are 3 genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Each gender has its own article. In English we use the article "the" to refer to any noun. It never changes. In German the word "the" will change based on the gender of the noun you're talking about. 

Why are German articles important?

When you use a masculine, feminine, or neuter word in German, you have to use the article that agrees with its gender (you can't say das Tisch ). If you do you'll be incorrect and will immediately sound strange to native speakers. 

What makes German articles so hard?

What makes the German articles so hard is that it's not always easy to remember the gender of German words. Grammatical gender has nothing to do with the nature of the noun and there are often exceptions to the trends of gender in the language.

For example the word for girl: Mädchen is neuter even though you'd think it should be feminine. 

Sometimes you can even have two words for the same object and those two words will have different genders: 

der Wagen (masculine)

Tips for learning German articles

Learn nouns with their articles.

When you practice or review German nouns, always do so with the correct article. This will get you in the habit of remembering which gender a word has. 

When in doubt don't guess neuter

Only around 20% of German nouns are neuter. If you're unsure of the gender of a word try guessing feminine or masculine. Chances are more likely you'll be correct that way. 

Practice rather than memorize 

Rote memorization works for some people learning German articles but for the majority of learners it's neither effective nor fun. Don't spend too much time mindlessly drilling German nouns and articles. The best way to practice is to listen to them used correctly and then try to use them yourself.

Listening to native audio is a great way to practice. If you're a beginner try listening to a German radio station, video, or podcast and pick out all the nouns you know, making note of which article they're used with. 

Make sure when you practice German (whether speaking or writing), you have some way to get feedback from native speakers.

Odds are that you'll mess up the articles a lot in the beginning. You need someone to point out your mistakes so you can correct them. Before long the articles will feel more comfortable. 

Tools for practicing German Articles

The Germanpod101 podcast is a great way for beginners to listen to native German conversations

Lang-8 is a free site that allows you to write entries in a foreign language and have it corrected by native speakers. 

Learn the rules:

While there are some unexpected exceptions to German article rules, here are some rules you can use to cut down on the confusion:

Words ending in -heit , -keit , -ung , or -schaft are always feminine

If you see a noun with any of these endings use the article die . 

Words ending in -ling or -ismus are always masculine

If you see -ling or -ismus in the noun you can be sure that it's masculine. 

Diminutive nouns ending in -chen or -lein are always neuter

As long as the noun is diminutive and ends in -chen or -lein you can be sure that it is a neuter noun. 

German articles aren't a walk in the park, but they are far from impossible. With some time and effort you will see yourself become more familiar with them, even to the point where you'll no longer have to think about which article to use with which word! 

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Tips and tricks for choosing the correct articles in German

22/04/2022 Apps & Tools for Language Learners Languages Language Resources created by Manuel Koretz

Learning German can be a real challenge. Grammar in particular can quickly frustrate students because of its numerous irregularities. However, there are also some tips and tricks that will make learning when to use which article much easier!

One area that causes most German learners a lot of problems is choosing the correct definite article. For German beginners, choosing the correct definite article seems arbitrary, even random, which is why many students tend to guess the correct article and hope for the best. Despite all the irregularities, there are some tips and tricks that will almost always help you find the right definite article when speaking or writing in German.

What do you need to know about articles in German?

An article is a word that modifies or describes a noun while also telling us whether the noun refers to something specific or general. There are three different declension categories for articles: genus, numerus, and case. Genus can be either feminine, masculine, or neutral. The numerus describes whether the noun is present only once (singular) or several times (plural). Lastly, German has four cases - nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive - which describe the relationship of the noun to the other parts of the sentence.

Like most languages, German has two types of articles: definite and indefinite articles. These are usually placed before a noun. The differences between these two types of articles are:

Definite article: A definite article is used in combination with a noun. As the name suggests, definite articles describe a definite object. The definite articles used in German are DER (masculine), DIE (feminine) and DAS (neutral).

Example : The dog is running. - Der Hund rennt. The dog is a specific one, not just a general one.

Indefinite article: Indefinite articles are used when a thing, object or person cannot be precisely assigned or is unknown. The indefinite articles used in German are EIN (masculine and neutral) and EINE (feminine).

Example: A dog is running - Ein Hund rennt.

We don't know who this dog belongs to, we just know that there is a dog and it is running.

When to use the definite article can cause some confusion, even for native speakers. To avoid making mistakes or using the incorrect article, you should have a look at the following rule.

Tips for finding the correct definite article in German

The best way to know which definite article you should use is to look at the ending of the noun. The following graphic shows you which endings require which definite article:

As with any other rule, there are some irregularities and exceptions with this one. Therefore, you should see the rule only as a very good guide, with which you can reliably find the correct German definite article.

Another useful tip is using the article "Die" when you are not sure which definite article is the correct one. This is because almost 45% of German nouns are feminine, so you have a high chance of guessing correctly. On the other hand, the neutral article "Das" occurs least often, so you should only use it if you are sure that "Das" is the correct one.

Despite all the difficulties that come with learning German, there are always some shortcuts that will make your life much easier. It is important for you to learn the rule for using the correct definite article in order to train your feeling for the German language. This way, you will gradually think less and less about which article is the correct one.

Interested in testing your German level and your newly acquired grammar knowledge? Then our German language test is exactly what you need!

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How to Use Definite Articles in German

Der, Die, and Das

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• History & Culture
• Pronunciation & Conversation
• M.A., German Studies, McGill University
• B.A., German and French

A definite article ( der Definitartikel ) is that tiny word in English we refer to as "the." In German , we have three: der, die, das . As in English, they are also placed before the noun (or their modifying adjectives). In German, however, each of the definite articles has a gender .

When to Use Der, Die or Das

• Der - is placed before all masculine nouns . Example:  der Hut (the hat)
• Die - is placed before all feminine nouns. Example:  die Klasse (the class)
• Das - is placed before all neuter nouns. Example:  das Kind (the child)

Please note that the above forms are for nouns in the nominative case only, as you would find them listed in the dictionary. To see how definite articles change in the different cases, read about the four German noun cases .

How Do I Know Which Definite Article to Place Before a Noun?

There are some guidelines for specific groups of nouns. However, for the most part, you need to memorize which noun goes with which definite article. As you do so, keep in mind these two basic rules:

Most nouns denoting male and female beings will be der and die respectively. For example:

• der Mann (the man)
• die Frau (the woman)

but there are exceptions:

• das Mädchen (the girl)

In compound nouns , the correct definite article is the one that belongs to the last noun . For example: 

• das Hochzeitsfest /the wedding celebration (=> das Fest )
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