German Articles
German Articles. German grammar is simple! But often it’s explained in a complicated way. If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you!
What are Articles? (Artikel)
In English, there are three articles: “a,” “an,” and “the.” They tell you if we are talking about, for example, a specific tree (“the tree”) or an unspecified tree (“a tree”). With “a” and “an,” we have to use a different one depending on the beginning sound of the noun (“a tree” vs. “an apple”).
In German, we are going to extend this a bit.
First, we include more things under the category “German Articles.”
The different types of articles
- Definite and Indefinite Articles (Bestimmte und unbestimmte Artikel = a/an)
- the Zero Article (Nullartikel = No Article)
- Possessive Determiners (Possesivartikeln – my, your,..)
- the Negative Article (Negativartikel – “no” as article)
Articles come before nouns and help you understand what exactly we’re talking about. They are also declined (change their form) to give you information about the noun’s…
- Gender: der = masculine; die = feminine; das = neuter
- Number: Singular or Plural
- Case: Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive
The German Definite Article (Bestimmte Artikel)
In English, the definite article is “the”:
- der – „der Vater“
- die – „die Mutter“
- das – „das Kind“
Using The German Definite Article
Definite articles are used when talking about something specific.
⇒ The noun is unique. You can say exactly what you are talking about.
- „Der Hund holt die Zeitung.“ (This specific dog got this specific newspaper)
Definite articles are used when talking about something generally known or already specifically mentioned.
- „Das Eis ist kalt.“ (Everyone knows what „Eis“ is)
- „Das ist der Mann, den ich gestern getroffen habe.“ (It’s a specific man, not just anyone)
Declining German Definite Articles
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