German Articles Explained: Der, Die, Das
Understanding Noun Gender in German
In German language each noun has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter. Knowing a noun’s gender is essential because it determines the correct article to use with it. This isn’t always obvious, which is why learning the rules and practicing regularly is important.
Our online Der Die Das Trainer App is designed to help you learn and practice selecting the right article based on a noun’s gender. But first, let’s go over the basic rules.
Types of Articles in German
German uses two main types of articles:
1. Indefinite Articles – equivalent to "a" or "an" in English. These are used when referring to a non-specific item:eine (feminine)
ein (masculine or neuter)
Example:
Ein Hund sitzt vor dem Haus.
(A dog sits in front of the house. – any dog, not a specific one)
2. Definite Articles – equivalent to "the" in English. These are used to refer to something specific:der (masculine)
die (feminine or plural)
das (neuter)
Example:
Meine Schwester hat einen Hund. Der Hund sitzt jetzt vor dem Dach.
(My sister has a dog. The dog is sitting in front of the house now. – a specific dog)
How to Choose the Correct Article in German
To determine the right article for a noun you need to consider:
Number – is the noun singular or plural?
Gender – is it masculine, feminine, or neuter?
Case – what role does the noun play in the sentence?
(For A1 level, you should know Nominative, Accusative, and Dative cases. Genitive is taught in higher levels.)
German Articles Tables
Indefinite Articles
Case/Gender |
Masculine |
Feminine |
Neuter |
Plural |
Nominative |
ein |
eine |
ein |
– |
Accusative |
einen |
eine |
ein |
– |
Dative |
einem |
einer |
einem |
– |
Definite Articles
Case/Gender |
Masculine |
Feminine |
Neuter |
Plural |
Nominative |
der |
die |
das |
die |
Accusative |
den |
die |
das |
die |
Dative |
dem |
der |
dem |
den |
How to Learn “Der”, “Die”, and “Das”?
Mastering German articles can be tricky - but it's absolutely possible with the right tools! Our interactive simulator offers exercises designed for A1 learners using vocabulary sourced from official Goethe A1 exam materials.
Start Practicing with the Der Die Das App
Test yourself and improve your accuracy with German articles through engaging, game-based learning.
Learn How To Identify a Gender of a Noun by its Meaning and Ending
Read and learn very helpful tips from the article How to choose the correct gender for a German noun by its meaning and ending which helps to memorise the gender of multiple German words!