In German, you can use a definite article before the name of a language for stylistic purposes, much like you might say “the German language” rather than just “German” in English:
definite articleDas Deutsche ist eine schöne Sprache.
German is a beautiful language.
lit. The German is a beautiful language.
Though you don’t need a definite article before a basic nationality, you will hear it used before nationality + -Sein(being), for stylistic purposes:
definite articleDas Deutsch-Sein hat seine Vor- und Nachteile.
(The) being German has its advantages and disadvantages.
While you are technically allowed to use the indefinite article before a nationality in German, as in, Ich bin ein Deutscher(I am a German), the article is usually just omitted.
German Articles
The zero article: When to omit an article in German?
By: Babsi Schafer Cabrera Tue Jun 10 2025
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zero articlenoun
Tom arbeitet seit letztem Jahr als (—) Ingenieur.
Tom has been working as an engineer since last year.
Die Suppe schmeckt nicht gut. Ich habe zu viel (—) Salz hineingetan.
The soup doesn’t taste good. I added too much (—) salt.
As you can see, English also uses the zero article sometimes, but not always in exactly the same places as in German! In this article, we’ll break the zero article down for you and find out when to use it. Are you ready? Let’s do it!
Table of Contents
Review: What are articles in German?
In German, articles are little words like der(the) or eine(a, an), that are used to introduce nouns. Before talking about the zero article, let’s do a quick review of the other types of articles in German and when you’ll use those!
Definite and indefinite articles
The two types of German articles you’re probably most familiar with are definite articles and indefinite articles:
Definite article: “the” | Indefinite article: “a(n)” | |
|---|---|---|
Masculine | der | ein |
Feminine | die | eine |
Masculine | das | ein |
Masculine | der | — |
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Wir wohnen in der Ludwigstraße.
We live on (the) Ludwig Street.
→ before street namesDer Hut des Mannes ist braun.
The man’s the hat is brown.
→ before both the possessor and the possessed nounDer Winter kommt.
The Winter is coming.
→ before seasonsDer alte Otto ist gestern gestorben.
The Old Otto died yesterday.
→ before some proper names
We’ll cover some of the differences like this below, or you could check out our posts on German definite articles and indefinite articles in German to learn more!
Negative articles
The negative article kein(e)(no, not any) is used to negate nouns with no article, much like “no” + noun in English.
Die Suppe hat kein Salz.
The soup has no salt.
You can use kein to negate any noun that wouldn’t ordinarily have a definite article. Make sure to use the right agreement forms!
Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
keinen | keine | kein | keine |
Ich habe keinen Hund. I have no dog. | Wir haben keine Katze. We have no cat. | Sie haben kein Pferd. They have no horse. | Ihr habt keine Kühe. You have no cows. |
For more details check out our post on German negation!
When to use a zero article in German?
The most common use of the zero article in German is similar to English: it is used before an indefinite plural noun:
zero article
Ich liebe (—) große und kleine Hunde.
I love (—) big and small dogs.
Du hast (—) Freunde.
You have (—) friends.
However, there are also some other cases where we use the zero article in German. Some of these other uses overlap with English, but not all of them!
Let’s take a closer look at all the different use cases for the zero article. We will highlight all of these differences between German and English below!
Nationalities and languages
The zero article is generally used before a nationality or a language, in both German and English:
zero articleIch bin (—) Deutsche.
I am (—) German.
In Deutschland spricht man (—) Deutsch.
In Germany one speaks (—) German.
Here are some differences!
Cities, countries, and continents
In German, we do not generally use an article before the names of cities, countries or continents — just like English!
zero article(—) Berlin ist die Hauptstadt von (—) Deutschland.
(—) Berlin is the capital of (—) Germany.
(—) Deutschland ist ein Land in (—) Europa.
(—) Germany is a country in (—) Europe.
However, just like we use “the” before a few countries and cities in English (e.g. “the United States”), some countries take definite articles in German. For example:
definite articledas Vereinigte Königreich
the United Kingdom
Here are some differences!
Here are some countries that take a definite article in German, but not in English:
der — masculineder Iran
Iran
der Irak
Iraq
der Jemen
Yemen
der Tschad
Chad
die — femininedie Mongolei
Mongolia
die Schweiz
Switzerland
die Ukraine
Ukraine
die Türkei
Turkey
Check out our zero article reference sheet for a list of all the countries that take definite articles.
You will also hear a definite article used before countries, cities, and continents that are accompanied by additional descriptions. This is more common in German than it is in English:
definite articleDas Berlin, das ich aus meiner Kindheit kenne, existiert nicht mehr.
The Berlin that I remember from my childhood, no longer exists.
das wiedervereinigte Deutschland
the reunited Germany
Job titles
Here's a difference!
In German, you do not generally put an article before a job title!
zero articleprofessionIch arbeite als (—) Krankenschwester.
I work as a nurse.
However, you will still use definite or indefinite articles in some circumstances such as:
When a relative clause follows the job title:
indefinite articleprofessionrelative clauseIch bin eine Krankenschwester, die ihren Job liebt.
I’m a nurse who loves her job.
When you are referring to a person using the name of their profession:
definite articleprofessionDer Arzt nahm mich ernst.
The doctor took me seriously.
Names
The names of people generally do not need an article in German.
zero articlename(—) Paul arbeitet an der Universität.
(—) Paul works for the university.
This includes names that begin with titles like Herr (Mr.), Frau(Mrs., Ms.), Doktor(Doctor) etc.
zero articlenameHeute Abend gehe ich mit (—) Frau Schmidt ins Kino.
I’m going to the movies with (—) Ms. Schmidt tonight.
Here's a difference!
In conversational German, you can add definite articles before names, and it’s actually quite commonly done for stylistic purposes.
definite articleDie Susanne hat gesagt, dass der Peter an der Universität arbeitet.
(—) Susanne said that (—) Peter works for the university.
Der Herr Steinmann hat um zehn Uhr einen Termin.
(—) Mr. Steinmann has an appointment at 10 a.m.
Die Frau Meier hat ihn angerufen.
(—) Ms. Meier called him.
After measurement words
German nouns that follow measurement words don’t take an article in German.
zero articleIch kaufe einen Liter (—) Milch.
I’m buying one liter (of) (—) milk.
Important
The tricky thing to remember here is that you don’t need to add “of” after measurement words in German! Just the noun being measured, without an article:
zero articleFrau Müller braucht einen Meter (—) Stoff.
Ms Müller needs one meter of (—) fabric.
After materials and substances
In both German and English you don’t use articles to describe what something is made out of.
zero articleDas Dach ist aus (—) Holz?
The roof is made of (—) wood.
Diese Statue ist aus (—) Stein.
This statue is made of (—) stone.
Notice that unlike when giving measurements, here you do need a preposition aus(out of)!
Mass nouns
In both German and English you don’t use articles when using mass nouns, which are not countable.
Trink bitte mehr (—) Wasser!
Drink more (—) water, please!
(—) Strom ist teurer geworden.
(—) Energy has gotten more expensive.
Important
Just like in English, mass nouns can take an article if they are being used to refer to a specific instance, expected quantity, brand, or type of the substance they represent:
- zero article
(—) Butter kostet 3 Euro.
(—) Butter costs 3 Euro.
→ The substance in general - definite article
Die Butter kostet 3 Euro
The butter costs 3 Euro.
→ The box or brand of butter I am considering
Generalizing days of the week, months, or seasons
When talking about days of the week, months, or seasons in a general context you don’t need an article in German, just like English!
zero article(—) November ist ein grauer Monat in Deutschland.
(—) November is a gray month in Germany.
Endlich ist (—) Sommer!
It’s finally (—) summer!
Here are some differences!
Here are two slight differences to be on the lookout for!
Though it is not required, in German you will often hear a definite article before the name of a season. It’s actually more common than the zero article:
definite articlezero article✅ Der Frühling ist die schönste Jahreszeit.
✅ (—) Frühling ist die schönste Jahreszeit.Spring is the most beautiful season.
In English, you would usually say that something is going to happen “on” a day of the week, but in German, we usually just use the name of the day by itself:
zero article(—) Montag habe ich endlich Urlaub!
Monday I’m finally off work.
In newspaper headlines or titles
Like in English, you’ll often see a lack of articles in newspaper headlines and advertisements. This is mainly for stylistic reasons or to save space.
zero article(—) Mörder in der Frankfurter Innenstadt festgenommen!
(—) Murderer arrested in Downtown Frankfurt.
(—)Verspielter Hund sucht neues Zuhause.
(—) Playful dog is looking for a new home.
Abstract or religious concepts
As in English, German nouns for abstract concepts are often generally mass nouns, and so you do not add an article before them.
zero articleDiese Organisation kämpft für (—) Gleichberechtigung.
This organization fights for (—) equality.
In ihrem Job braucht Tina viel (—) Geduld.
Tina needs lots of (—) patience in her job.
As in English, though, if you want to refer to a specific instance of these concepts, such as “the patience of a saint,” you will need an article.
definite articleDie Demokratie in Deutschland funktioniert gut.
(The) Democracy in Germany works well.
Here's a difference!
In English, you’ll often use a possessive adjectiveNo definition set for possessive adjectiveLorem 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. to refer to a specific instance of an abstract noun, as in, “you try my patience.” In German, though, it will usually be a definite article instead.
definite articleDer Kunde verliert bald die Geduld.
The customer is about to lose their (lit. the) patience.
Noun-verb compounds
In German, some nouns will take no article when used after certain verbs, if the verb refers to a performance of the action in general. Compare:
- zero articledefinite article
Ich lese (—) Zeitung.
I read the newspaper.
→ Describes what I typically do in the morning. - definite article
Ich lese die Zeitung.
I read the newspaper.
→ Describes what I did to some specific newspaper.
Though we have a few expressions in English that are a bit like this, as in “I watched TV” vs. “I watched the TV,” in German they are quite common.
Here's a difference!
Check out this list of common expressions where the object noun may have no article in German:
Fahrrad fahren
to ride a bike
Auto fahren
to drive a car
Radio hören
to listen to the radio
Fernseh schauen
to watch TV
Musik hören
to listen to music
Zeitung lesen
to read the newspaper
Skateboard fahren
to ride a skateboard
Other miscellaneous fixed expressions
There are also some fixed expressions in German, where the noun(s) are not preceded by an article. Find more in our zero article reference sheet!
zero articleIch verstehe nur (—) Bahnhof.
I don’t understand anything.
lit. I only understand (—) train station.
→ This literal translation cracks me up every single time!Hast du mal (—) Feuer?
Do you have a light?
Wir waren bei dieser Sache mit (—) Leib und (—) Seele dabei.
We put (our) heart and soul into it.
Summary
In this post, we talked about the use of the zero article in German. Here are the most important takeaways:
The zero article is the name we give to a noun in German that has no article.
In general, the zero article is used before indefinite plural nouns, but it is also used in other cases like:
before nationalities and languages
before the names of cities, countries, continents, and people
for materials, substances, mass nouns, abstract concepts, and measured words
to talk about days of the week, months, or years, in general
in newspaper headlines
after certain verbs and in some set phrases
And now, head on over to our activities to practice the zero article in German!
