In German, we generally use
nouns together with their articles
. The article tells us the gender, number, and case of the noun. There are indefinite articles (ein, eine) and definite articles (der, die, das).
What are the German articles?
German has three words —
der, die and das
— for the definite article the. To make matters more confusing for someone learning German, these three definite articles change spelling according to the case of the noun that they appear with in a sentence. The same is true for the indefinite articles.
How do I find articles in German?
The three gender markers that mean the (singular) in German are
der (masculine), die (feminine), and das (neuter)
. The plural form of the definite article is die. English has only one gender marker for the definite article of all nouns, namely the.
When we use der die das?
der, die, das! Der indicates that the following
noun is masculine [M]
. Die, that the noun is feminine [F]. Das, that the noun is neuter [N].
How do you use articles?
| COUNT NOUNS NON-COUNT NOUNS | Rule #1 Specific identity not known a, an (no article) | Rule #2 Specific identity known the the | Rule #3 All things or things in general (no article) (no article) |
|---|
How can I memorize German articles easily?
- Learn nouns with their articles. When you practice or review German nouns, always do so with the correct article. …
- When in doubt don't guess neuter. Only around 20% of German nouns are neuter. …
- Practice rather than memorize. …
- Learn the rules:
Is Ein masculine in German?
Ein is used for masculine
and neuter nouns. “One man” is masculine so it would be ein Mann, while “one house” is neuter so it would be ein Haus. Eine is used for feminine nouns. … If the noun is in the accusative case it's einen (masculine), eine (feminine) and ein (neuter).
Why does German have 3 genders?
In German, gender is defined not by the gender of the noun, but by the meaning and the form of the word. Genders in German were
originally intended to signify three grammatical categories
that words could be grouped into. … nouns that had no ending. These remained masculine.
Why is girl neutral in German?
As for girls, the word
Mädchen is still neuter for
two reasons, a) because it ends in ‘chen', b) because nouns ending in ‘chen' don't change in the plural. By saying das Mädchen, we know it's one girl, whereas die Mädchen is more than one. … If we wanted to say ‘The girl is little.
Is German a gendered language?
German. The German language uses three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter for all nouns, pronouns, and adjectives.
What gender is die in German?
| Masculine Feminine | Nominative der die | Accusative den die | Genitive des der | Dative dem der |
|---|
How do you remember der die das in German?
- Feminine: die Frau (the woman)
- Masculine: der Mann (the man)
- Neuter: das Kind (the child)
How does German determine der die das?
Most world languages have nouns that are either masculine or feminine. German goes them one better and adds a third gender: neuter. The masculine definite article (“the”) is der,
the feminine is die
, and the neuter form is das.
Where do we use a an?
The is
used to refer to specific or particular nouns
; a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We call the the definite article and a/an the indefinite article. … “A/an” is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group.
When should we not use articles?
- Honey is sweet. …
- Sugar is bad for your teeth.
- Wisdom is better than riches.
- Virtue is its own reward.
When use a or an?
Use
“a” before words that start with a consonant sound and “an” before words that start with a vowel sound
. Other letters can also be pronounced either way. Just remember it is the sound that governs whether you use “a” or “an,” not the actual first letter of the word.
