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German Articles: der, die, and das
In the nominative, German uses der for masculine singular nouns, die for feminine singular nouns, das for neuter singular nouns, and die for the plural of every gender. The article changes again when the noun is the object of the sentence.
Which article to use
| Article | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| der | masculine singular, nominative | der Apfel — the apple |
| die | feminine singular, nominative | die Milch — the milk |
| das | neuter singular, nominative | das Brot — the bread |
| die | plural, any gender, nominative | die Äpfel — the apples |
How the article changes
Definite articles in the nominative, accusative, and dative.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die | das | die |
| Accusative | den | die | das | die |
| Dative | dem | der | dem | den |
How to use them
- Der Apfel ist rot uses the nominative because the apple is the subject.
- Ich sehe den Apfel uses den because a masculine singular direct object takes the accusative.
- Die Milch and das Brot keep die and das in the accusative: Ich trinke die Milch. Ich esse das Brot.
- ein is the masculine and neuter indefinite article. eine is the feminine form: eine Banane.
Common mistakes
- Using der for every noun. Gender belongs to the German noun, not to the English word.
- Leaving a masculine object as der. Ich sehe den Apfel, not Ich sehe der Apfel.
- Forgetting that plural die does not tell you the noun's singular gender.
Common questions
- What do der, die, and das mean?
- All three can mean the. der is masculine, die is feminine or plural, and das is neuter.
- When does German use den?
- den is the masculine singular accusative, used for a masculine direct object such as den Apfel.
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