All About German Indefinite and Definite Articles

In this lesson, you will learn about definite and indefinite articles in German. Similar to English, German has both definite and indefinite articles that precede nouns and agree with them in case, gender, and number. The definite articles are “der,” “die,” and “das,” while the indefinite articles are “ein” and “eine,” among others.

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CONTENT

The definite article
The indefinite article
Kein: not..a, not..any, no and cases
Uses of the articles in German
No article

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Grammar Content

The definite article

The definite article, in English ‘the’, has different forms to show the GENDER, NUMBER and CASE of the noun it is used with.

As you already know, in German nouns can be either masculine (der), feminine (die), neuter (das) or plural (die). The der/die/das can change depending on whether the noun is being used as:

• the subject of a sentence (nominative)
• the direct object (accusative)
• the indirect object (dative).

The article indicates the case, number, and gender of a noun, making it essential to master for understanding and using German correctly. The table below shows the declension of the definite article “der” (masculine), “das” (neuter)  and “eine” (feminine).

If you compare the nominative and accusative cases, you’ll notice there is almost no difference between them. The masculine form is the only one that changes in the accusative case.
Observe the genitive and dative cases of masculine and neuter nouns; they are identical. The feminine is the simplest.

With certain prepositions, the definite article is often contracted and written as a single word. The following are the most usual:

an + das = ans
an + dem = am
in + das = ins
in + dem = im
zu + dem = zum
zu + der = zur
bei + dem = beim
vor + dem = vom

The indefinite article

The indefinite article in English (‘a’/’an’) has forms that agree with the GENDER and CASE of the noun in German. There is no plural form for the indefinite article because, as in English, indefinite plural nouns are used without an article, e.g.:

• Sie hat einen Apfel gekauft. -She bought an apple.
• Sie hat Äpfel gekauft. -She bought apples.

The table below shows the declension of the indefinite article “ein” (masculine/neuter) and “eine” (feminine).

In the nominative case, the word for “a” in front of a:

• Masculine noun is “ein”: ein Mann – a man
• Neuter noun is also “ein”: ein Kind – a child
• Feminine noun is “eine”: eine Frau – a woman

In the accusative case, only the masculine form changes. The dative form of a is mostly used with prepositions and follows the pattern of -m -r -m (einem, einer, einem).

Kein: not..a, not..any, no and cases

In German, there is a specific word for not a or not any, which is kein. Kein is the negative form of the indefinite article. It shares the same endings as ein in the singular form, but unlike “ein,” it can also be used in the plural form, with case endings similar to “mein.” The table below illustrates the declension of “kein.”

It is just like ein with a k-, but it has a plural form.

You can also use no in front of a noun.
For example:
Keine Haustiere! – No pets!

If you are saying that you haven’t any cats, or you don’t have a cat, you use kein/keine.
For example:
Ich habe keine Katze.- I haven’t got a cat.
Sie haben keine Kinder. -They have no children.
Wir haben keinen Wagen. – We don’t have a car.

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Grammar Content

Uses of the articles in German

In general, articles in German function similarly to those in English. However, there are some differences influenced by context and style. Here are the main differences to be aware of in German.

The indefinite article

• The indefinite article is often used before the nouns that are mentioned for the first time.
  For example:
  Das ist eine Lampe. Die Lampe ist schön. – This is a lamp. The lamp is beautiful.
  
• The indefinite article is often used before the nouns that denote something still unknown or undefined.
  For example:
  Sie wollte mir ein Geschenk geben. – She wanted to give me a present.

The definite article

• The definite article is often used before abstract nouns.
  For example:
  Die Demokratie ist in einer Krise. – Democracy is in a state of crisis.
  
• The definite article is often used before infinitives used as nouns.
  For example:
  Das Fotografieren ist verboten. – It is not permitted to take photographs.
  
• The definite article is used with names of months and seasons.
  For example:
  Der April war verregnet. – April was rainy.
  Im Winter friert der Bach zu. – In winter the stream freezes over.
  
• The definite article is used with street names and with feminine and plural names of countries.
  For example:
  Ich wohne in der Marktstraße. – I live in Market Street.
  Wir wohnen jetzt in der Schweiz. – We live in Switzerland now.
  Sie lebt in den Niederlanden. – She lives in the Netherlands.
  
• The definite article is used with all proper names qualified by an adjective or adjectival phrase.
  For example:
  das heutige Deutschland – Germany today/modern Germany
  der junge Heinrich Mann – the young Heinrich Mann
  das zerstörte Dresden – the destroyed city of Dresden
  
• The definite article is used in colloquial speech before the names of people
  For example:
  Ich finde den Udo total unmöglich. – I find Udo completely impossible.
  Ist die Frau Berlinger da? – Is Frau Berlinger there?
  
• The definite article is often used with parts of the body and articles of clothing, where English uses a possessive.
  For example:
  Sie machte die Augen zu. – She closed her eyes.
  Hast du dir die Zähne geputzt? – Have you cleaned your teeth?
  Er steckte die Hand in die Tasche. – He put his hand in his pocket.
  
• A definite article is used in some prepositional phrases where the English equivalent has no article.
  For example:
  Wir gingen in die Schule. – We went to school.
  Er trank den Kaffee im Stehen. – He drank his coffee standing up.
  Wir fahren mit dem Bus. – We’re going by bus.

No article

• No article is needed in the predicate complement of sein, werden, or bleiben when using nouns that denote professions, nationalities, or classes of people.
  For example:
  Er ist Arzt/Bäcker/Installateur. – He is a doctor/baker/plumber.
  Mein Verlobter ist Italiener. – My fiancé is (an) Italian.
  Mia ist doch Norwegin, oder? – Mia is an Englishwoman, isn’t she?
  Lukas blieb Junggeselle. – Lukas remained a bachelor.
  Sie wurde Demokratin. – She became a democrat.
  
• If an adjective precedes the noun, use the indefinite article.
  For example:
  Er ist ein guter Architekt. – He is a good architect.
  
• No article or determiner is necessary in the plural when English uses ‘some’ or ‘any.’
  For example:
  Ich habe Äpfel gekauft. – I bought some apples.
  Brauchen Sie Marken? – Do you need any stamps?

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