GermanArticles, Determiners, Cases For the most part, you’ll use a definite article in German in the same cases where you use the definite article (“the”) in English. However, unlike “the” in English, definite articles in German come in several different forms, depending on certain characteristics of the noun. For example:
All these forms might look confusing at first, but they are actually your friends: they tell you more about the genderNo definition set for genderLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., numberNo definition set for numberLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., and caseNo definition set for caseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (grammatical role) of the noun!
In this post, we will discuss how and why German has so many forms of “the” and how to (almost) always choose the right one to use. Ready to have a look? Let’s dive in!
What are definite articles?
In German, as in English, a definite article is a small word that comes before a noun that is familiar and specific. The English definite article is “the” and in German definite articles are used in a very similar way to how they are in English.
Definite articles tell us that the noun is very specific and has been mentioned before.
indefinite article
→ You cannot picture her.
Definite articles can also tell us that a noun exists only once in the world.
definite article
→ There is only one on Earth.
German definite articles: What is their dictionary form?
The dictionary forms of the German definite articles are der, die, das, and die. The dictionary form you’ll use depends on the genderNo definition set for genderLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and numberNo definition set for numberLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of the noun.
All nouns in German have a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter. This doesn’t work quite like “he,” “she,” and “it” in English though! While most nouns for male people and animals are masculine and most female people and animals are feminine, it’s not universal.
Often nouns for objects will be masculine or feminine, rather than neuter, as in der Stuhl(the chair) or die Flasche(the bottle). Similarly, nouns for some humans might be neuter, as in das Kind(the child).
Check out our post to learn more about identifying the grammatical gender of German nouns.
Luckily, all plural nouns in German take the same definite article, , so that makes things easier!
How do German definite articles show the case of the noun?
In German, the basic definite articles, der, die, das, and die, change forms to show the caseNo definition set for caseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (or grammatical role) of the noun they precede. This works differently depending on the gender and number of the noun. For example:
masculine definite articlemasculine singular noun
Der Hund spielt im Garten.
The dog is playing in the garden.
→ Hund is the subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
Das Futter des Hundes ist dort.
The dog’s food is over there.
→ Hund is a possessor.
feminine definite articlefeminine singular noun
Die Katze fängt die Maus.
The cat catches the mouse.
→ Katze is the subject.
Das Futter der Katze ist dort.
The cat catches the mouse.
→ Katze is a possessor.
Here are all the different forms that the articles can take.
Check out this table to see examples of all of these articles in a sentence! You’ll notice that the system of cases in German is mostly expressed in the forms of articles, since the form of the noun itself doesn’t usually change to reflect its function in the sentence.
What are some strategies for remembering the forms of German definite articles?
Here are two great ways to remember the forms of German definite articles:
Strategy 1: Magic spell mnemonic
The first strategy for remembering German definite articles is cool mnemonic, a favorite of my colleague, Ulrike. You simply need to remember the following “magic spell”:
You say: “Ree-see, nee-see, merman, sir sir!”
⤷ TIPTo remember this mnemonic, imagine a hapless sorcerer’s apprentice conjuring up a merman with the bathwater, then seeking help from the master wizard! 🧙🐟
You can apply these endings to the table of articles in the order of masculine, feminine, neuter, and plural and read it from top left to bottom right:
Nominative | | | | |
|---|
Accusative | | | | |
|---|
Dative | | | | |
|---|
Genitive | | | | |
|---|
Strategy 2: Color block table
The second way to remember the correct definite articles is to use a colorful table, like the one below. For this, it makes sense to group the genders like this: masculine, neuter, feminine, and plural, since masculine and neuter have many similarities and so do feminine and plural.
Nominative | | | |
|---|
Accusative | |
|---|
Dative | | | |
|---|
Genitive | | |
|---|
As you can see, a lot of the forms are re-used in different genders, numbers, and cases! There are actually only six forms total: der, die, das, dem, den, and des. If you think about it in this chart, that can help you remember the whole pattern.
Summing up
Let’s summarize what we’ve discussed about the German definite articles:
Think of articles as little helpers to know the gender and the role of a noun. They are not your enemies!
Whenever you would use “the” in English, choose one of the following six forms in German: der, die, das, dem, den, or des, depending on the gender and role of the noun.
Remember the mnemonic RESE – NESE – MRMN – SRSR or a colorful table to always choose the right article.
If you want to practice all forms of the definite articles, we have prepared some German definite article exercises exercises for you! Now that we’ve discussed the definite articles, you’re ready to move on to indefinite articles!
To embark on your next language adventure, join Mango on social!
