Definite articles are used before nouns when referring to specific, known entities or making general statements about entire categories.
Der Lehrer unterrichtet die Schüler. (The teacher is teaching the students.)
Unlike English, which only has one definite article (the), German has different forms based on gender and number: Der (masculine singular), Die (feminine singular), Das (neuter singular), Die (plural for all genders)
Definite articles serve several important functions: They
- indicate the gender of a noun (masculine, feminine, or neuter)
- show whether a noun is singular or plural
- reveal whether the associated noun is the subject, direct object or indirect object (through the identification the case)
Forms of definite articles
Here's a complete table showing how definite articles change in all four cases:
ㅤ | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
Nominative | der | die | das | die |
Accusative | den | die | das | die |
Dative | dem | der | dem | den |
Genitive | des | der | des | der |
- Der Mann liest ein Buch (masculine, singular, subject → nominative)
- Ich sehe den Mann (masculine, singular, direct object → accusative)
- Ich gebe dem Mann ein Buch (masculine, singular, indirect object → dative)
- Das ist das Auto des Mannes (masculine, singular, possession → genitive)
Usage of definite articles
Contrasting with English
German uses definite articles more frequently than English. In addition to using definite articles before regular nouns, German also requires them with:
ㅤ | German Structure | Example |
Abstract nouns - German uses articles with abstract concepts where English often doesn't | - die Liebe (love)
- die Zeit (time) | Die Liebe ist wichtig
(Love is important) |
Countries and regions - Certain countries, especially those with feminine gender or plural form, require articles | - die Schweiz (Switzerland)
- die USA (the USA)
| Ich komme aus der Schweiz
(I come from Switzerland) |
Titles and occupations - Titles are typically used with articles, unlike in English where they're omitted | - der Doktor Schmidt
(Dr. Schmidt) | Der Doktor Schmidt ist hier
(Doctor Schmidt is here) |
Generalized statements - When making general statements about groups, German uses the definite article | Die + plural noun | Die Kinder spielen gern
(Children like to play) |
Merging of definite articles and prepositions
In German, certain prepositions and definite articles are commonly contracted for brevity:
- am (an + dem): Wir treffen uns am Bahnhof. (We are meeting at the train station.)
- zum (zu + dem): Ich gehe zum Arzt. (I am going to the doctor.)
- vom (von + dem): Das Buch ist vom berühmten Autor. (The book is by the famous author.)