Indefinite articles in German correspond to the English “a” or “an.” They are used to refer to a non-specific or unspecified noun. Unlike English, German indefinite articles change form based on the gender, case, and number of the noun they accompany. Note that there are no indefinite articles in the plural—German uses other words like keine (no) or omits the article altogether.

Forms

The indefinite articles in German are derived from the word ein (one). Here are the forms for each gender and case. Remember, the plural forms are all “-” because there is no indefinite article in the plural.

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural	Example Masculine	Example Feminine	Example Neuter
Nominative	ein	eine	ein	–	ein Mann	eine Frau	ein Kind
Accusative	einen	eine	ein	–	einen Mann	eine Frau	ein Kind
Dative	einem	einer	einem	–	einem Mann	einer Frau	einem Kind
Genitive	eines	einer	eines	–	eines Mannes	einer Frau	eines Kindes

What indefinite article completes this sentence? 'Das ist das Haus ___ Freundes.' (That is the house of a friend.)

einem

eines

ein

einer

eines

'Freundes' is a singular masculine noun in the genitive case, so the correct indefinite article is 'eines.'

Grammar Rules

Gender and Case Agreement: The indefinite article must agree with the noun’s gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and case (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive).
No Plural Form: There is no indefinite article for plural nouns. Use keine for “no” or leave the article out.
Used with Singular Nouns: Indefinite articles are only used with singular nouns because the meaning is “one a/an.”
Genitive Case: Rarely used in everyday speech, but important for formal writing and may appear in compound nouns or set expressions.

Usage Examples

Here are some examples of indefinite articles in each case. Pay special attention to the noun endings and the change in the article.

Case	German Example	English Example
Nominative	Eine Frau liest ein Buch.	A woman is reading a book.
Accusative	Ich sehe einen Mann.	I see a man.
Dative	Ich gebe einem Kind einen Ball.	I give a ball to a child.
Genitive	Das ist das Haus eines Freundes.	That is the house of a (male) friend.

Choose the correct article: 'Ich sehe ___ Mann.' (I see a man.)

einem

einen

ein

eine

einen

'Mann' is masculine accusative singular, so the article is 'einen.'

Special Cases

Masculine Accusative: Only einen changes. For example, “Ich sehe einen Mann.”
Masculine and Neuter Genitive: Add -es or -s to the noun. For example, “eines Mannes” or “eines Kindes.”
No Indefinite Article in Plural: For example, “Ich sehe Männer” (I see men), not “Ich sehe eine Männer.”

Summary Table

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ein	eine	ein
Accusative	einen	eine	ein
Dative	einem	einer	einem
Genitive	eines	einer	eines

Next Steps

Study the definite articles, as they are used more frequently. Then practice using the indefinite articles in context with nouns, adjectives, and verbs to build full sentences.

Flashcards (1 of 4)

Case: Nominative

English Example: A woman is reading a book.

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025

German

Indefinite Articles