German articles change form to show gender, number, and grammatical case, so paying attention to each case helps you understand and produce clear sentences. This guide goes through the definite, indefinite, and negative articles in the four cases with examples and useful notes.
Definite Articles
Definite articles (der, die, das, and die for plural) signal a specific noun and change form according to gender, number, and case.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die | das | die | |
| Accusative | den | die | das | die | |
| Dative | dem | der | dem | den | |
| Genitive | des | der | des | der |
The bear sleeps in the den.
Indefinite Articles
Indefinite articles (ein, eine, ein, and no article for plural) mark unspecific nouns and also change with case; note that there is no plural form for the indefinite article.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ein | eine | ein | — | |
| Accusative | einen | eine | ein | — | |
| Dative | einem | einer | einem | — | |
| Genitive | eines | einer | eines | — |
Negative Articles
The negative article kein behaves like ein and shows the absence of something; it changes form to match gender, number, and case.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | kein | keine | kein | keine | |
| Accusative | keinen | keine | kein | keine | |
| Dative | keinem | keiner | keinem | keinen | |
| Genitive | keines | keiner | keines | keiner |
Usage
The nominative case marks the subject, the accusative case marks the direct object, the dative case marks the indirect object, and the genitive case shows possession or close relationships; choosing the right article form signals each role clearly.
Summary
Learn the definite, indefinite, and negative article forms for each case so you can identify gender, number, and grammatical role; practice with nouns you know to make the patterns instinctive.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025