German Articles: der, die, das Explained with Rules and Tips
Every German noun has a gender, and the article shows it. Articles change with case and number, so learning them once and for all saves a lot of effort later.
The three genders
German nouns are masculine (der), feminine (die) or neuter (das). The gender is not always logical, so learn each noun with its article. Read the three genders for the full picture.
Gender clues from word endings
Some endings predict gender well. Nouns ending in -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft and -ion are feminine. Nouns ending in -chen and -lein are always neuter. Many nouns ending in -er, -ling and -ismus are masculine.
Definite and indefinite articles in the nominative
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Definite | der | die | das | die |
| Indefinite | ein | eine | ein | (none) |
The plural of every gender uses die. Indefinite articles have no plural. For how these forms change in other cases, see definite articles in the nominative and indefinite articles.
Capital letters and nouns
Every noun starts with a capital letter, so a noun is easy to spot in a sentence. You can use this to confirm that a word with an article is a noun: see capitalised nouns.
Plurals
Plurals are formed in several ways: adding -e (Hund, Hunde), -er (Kind, Kinder), -n or -en (Frau, Frauen), -s (Auto, Autos), or changing the vowel (Vater, Väter). There is no single rule, so learn the plural with the noun. See plural formation.
Practice that works
- Say the article with every new noun, every time.
- Group nouns by ending and gender in your notes.
- Use the vocabulary sets in flashcard mode and check articles, not just meanings.
- Try the der, die, das quiz in the quiz section.