Articles in German Grammar
Articles in German Grammar are used with nouns. They can be definite: der, die, das (the); or indefinite: ein, eine (a, an). In English grammar, the article does not change its form, however, in German grammar, the article changes its form to indicate the gender, number and case of a noun.
Learn about articles in German grammar with Learning German App online.
Articles in German Grammar
They are used with nouns. They can be definite: der, die, das (the); or indefinite: ein, eine (a, an). In English grammar, the article does not change its form, however, in German grammar, the article changes its form to indicate the gender, number and case of a noun.
Example
Indefinite Articles
The indefinite articles are ein (masculine, neuter) and eine (feminine). We use the indefinite article:
- when we’re talking about something specific
Example: Lena ist die Freundin von Franz. . (the only one – they are a couple)
- when we’ve already mentioned something, or assume it to be already known
Example: Das Eis schmeckt ihr sehr gut. .
Declension Table for German Articles
This table provides a simple overview of the declension of definite and indefinite articles the nominative, accusative, dative and genitive cases in German grammar.
Contractions: article + preposition
When a preposition is placed in front of a definite article, the two are contracted into one word. The table below displays a list of the most common preposition and article contractions.
No Article
We generally don’t use any article for:
- names of places
Example: Sie wohnen in Bremen.
- the names of most countries except for e. g. die Schweiz, die Türkei, die USA
Example: Wir machen Urlaub in Österreich.
(but: Wir machen Urlaub in der Schweiz.)
- Equalisations/identifications using the verbs sein/werden
Example: Es ist Juli.
Mein Bruder will Arzt werden.
- particular concrete abilities
Example: Ich spiele Klavier/Tennis.
Leo spricht Japanisch.
- materials/substances e. g. Papier, Holz, Wasser, Milch, Eisen, but only in a general context. Use an article when talking about specific materials.
Example: Papier wird aus Holz hergestellt.
Wir müssen noch Wasser kaufen.
(but: Das Papier ist alle./Wo ist das Holz für den Kamin?)
Then at last you can also improve your German online with Learning German App. In addition for more lesson, visit German Grammar section. Not only that, also if you face any problem with translation you can download the Magical German Keyboard. we wish you the best and having an enjoyable experience with Learning German online.
