German Articles!

The Basics All German Nouns are Capitalized! There are 3 articles in German. These articles are: – 1. der – 2. die – 3. das

When you learn a German Noun, you must also learn the article. der Hund = the dog die Katze = the cat das Kind = the child die Eltern = the parents – “The parents” is plural.

DER Der is considered masculine. Here are some helpful hints to know if the article of the Noun is masculine or not. The following are always masculine.

DER Days, Months, Seasons: – Montag, Juli, Sommer Points of the Compass, Map locations and Winds: – Nordwest, Föhn Precipitation: – Regen, Schnee, Nebel

DER Names of Cars and Trains: – VW, ICE, Mercedes Words ending in -ismus: – Journalismus, Kommunismus, Synchronismus – (-ismus in German = -ism in English) Words ending in -ner: – Rentner, Schaffner, Zöllner

DER The basic Atmospheric elements that end in “-stoff.” – Sauerstoff - Oxygen – Stickstoff - Nitrogen

DER The following are usually masculine. Agents (people who do something), most Occupations and Nationalities: – Architekt, Arzt, Deutsche, Student

DER Nouns ending in -er (when referring to people): – Fahrer, Verkäufer Names of Alcoholic Drinks: – Wein, Wodka Names of Mountains and Lakes: – Berg, See

DER Most Rivers outside of Europe: – Amazonas, Kongo, Mississippi Most Nouns ending in -ich, -ling and -ist: – Rettich, Schädling, Pazifist

DIE Die is considered feminine. Here are some helpful hints to know if the article of the Noun is feminine or not. The following are always feminine.

DIE Nouns ending in the following suffixes -heit, -keit, -tät, -ung and -schaft: – Freiheit, Schnelligkeit, Universität, Zeitung, Freundschaft Nouns ending in -ie: – Drogerie, Geographie, Industrie – (-ie in German = -y in English)

DIE Names of Aircraft, Ships and Motorbikes: – Boeing 747, Titanic, BMW – (BMW is for the Motorcycle only) – (In English, ships are often referred to as “she.”) Nouns ending in -ik: – Grammatik, Grafik, Klinik, Musik, Panik, Physik

DIE Borrowed (Foreign) Nouns ending in -ade, -age, -anz, -enz, -ette, -ine, -ion and -tur: – Parade, Blamage (shame), Distanz, Frequenz, Serviette, Nation, Konjunktur (economic trend) Cardinal Numbers: – Eins, Drei

DIE The following are usually feminine. Nouns ending in -in: – Amerikanerin, Studentin – (usually pertain to female people, occupations nationalities) Most Nouns ending in -e: – Ecke, Ente, Grenze, Pistole

DIE Most Nouns ending in -ei: – Partei Most types of Flowers and Trees: – Birke, Chrysanthememe, Eiche, Rose Borrowed (Foreign) Nouns ending in -isse, -itis and -ive: – Hornisse, Initiative

DAS Das is considered neuter. Here are some helpful hints to know if the article of the Noun is neuter or not. The following are always neuter.

DAS Nouns ending in -chen or -lein: – Fräulein, Kannichen, Mädchen Infinitives used as nouns (Gerunds): – Essen, Schreiben Almost all of the 112 known Chemical Elements: – Aluminium, Zink, Zirkonium

DAS Names of Hotels, Cafes and Theaters: – Hotel, Café, Kino Names of Colors used as Nouns: – Blau, Rot

DAS The following are usually neuter. Geographic place names (Towns, Countries, Continents): – Berlin, Deutschland, Brasilien, Afrika Young Animals and People: – Baby, Kücken

DAS Most Metals: – Aluminium, Kupfer Nouns ending in -o: – Auto, Büro, Kasino, Konto, Radio, Veto, Video Fractions: – Viertel, Drittel

DAS Most Nouns starting with -Ge: – Geschirr, Geschlecht, Gesetz Most Borrowed (Foreign) Nouns ending in -ment: – Ressentiment, Supplement

DAS Most Nouns ending in -nis: – Versäumnis Most Nouns ending in -tum or -um: – Christentum, Königtum

Plural Die Any Noun in German that is Plural uses the article die. der Stuhl: die Stühle die Dame: die Damen das Jahr: die Jahre No matter the original article, if the Noun is plural, the article will always be die.

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