Small words like der, ein, and kein change the meaning of a German noun completely. They show whether you mean a specific thing, one of many, or none at all, and their form changes with gender, number, and case.
How it works
The core rule is simple: the article must match the gender, number, and case of its noun, and its type shows whether the noun is known, new, or negated.
- Use the definite article der, die, das for something known or already mentioned.
- Use the indefinite article ein, eine, ein for one new or unknown thing. It has no plural.
- Use kein, keine, kein to say no or not a. It uses the same endings as ein, but it also has plural forms.
- Use no article for general statements, substances, names, and job titles without an adjective.
Tip: Always learn a new noun together with its definite article, for example der Tisch, not just Tisch. Gender is not logical in German, so memorizing them as a pair saves many errors later.
Examples
- Das ist der Schlüssel. — (That is the key.)
- Ich brauche einen Schlüssel. — (I need a key.)
- Die Frau hat keinen Schlüssel. — (The woman has no key.)
- Kinder spielen im Garten. — (Children are playing in the garden.)
- Ich trinke gern Wasser. — (I like drinking water.)
- Er ist Lehrer, aber sie ist eine gute Lehrerin. — (He is a teacher, but she is a good teacher.)
- Wir haben keine Zeit für den Film. — (We have no time for the film.)
Note: The job example shows an important pair. A job title alone after sein takes no article, but the article returns as soon as an adjective describes the job.
Forms at a glance
Cases below are always in the order nominative, accusative, dative, genitive.
- Definite article, singular:
- masculine: der, den, dem, des
- feminine: die, die, der, der
- neuter: das, das, dem, des
- Definite article, plural, for all genders:
- die, die, den, der
- ein (a), singular only:
- masculine: ein, einen, einem, eines
- feminine: eine, eine, einer, einer
- neuter: ein, ein, einem, eines
- kein (no, not a) follows ein, plus a plural:
- plural: keine, keine, keinen, keiner
- Leave out the article for:
- general plurals: Kinder — (children in general)
- substances and abstract ideas: Wasser — (water), Zeit — (time), Liebe — (love)
- most personal names and cities: Anna — (Anna), Berlin — (Berlin)
- jobs after sein without an adjective: Lehrer — (teacher)
Watch out: The genitive forms with des, eines, and noun endings in -s or -es are later material at A1. Recognize them first and practice nominative, accusative, and dative actively.
Common mistakes
- Not Ich habe ein Auto nicht — correct: Ich habe kein Auto. — (I have no car, use kein, not nicht, to negate a noun with an article.)
- Not Sie ist eine Lehrerin when you only state her job — correct: Sie ist Lehrerin. — (She is a teacher, no article without an adjective.)
- Not Ich sehe die Kinder mit dem Ball for a random ball — correct: Ich sehe die Kinder mit einem Ball. — (I see the children with a ball, indefinite for a new thing.)
- Not Ich helfe den Mann — correct: Ich helfe dem Mann. — (I help the man, helfen takes the dative.)
Where to go next
Articles only make sense together with gender and case, so continue with the two pages that explain those systems. Next: Nouns and Gender and The Four Cases.