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Definite articles in German signal the gender, number, and case of a noun, setting the framework for how to interpret each sentence. This guide covers the core forms and typical usage so you can follow and produce natural-sounding German.

Overview

The German language marks nouns as masculine, feminine, neuter, or plural, and the definite article changes form depending on the noun's gender, number, and grammatical case. Learning the basic articles for each case is essential for understanding who is doing what to whom in a sentence.

Fill in the Blank(the) Mann liest im Park.

The man is reading in the park.

__ (the) Mann liest im Park.

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Articles by Gender and Number

The principal definite articles in the nominative case are der for masculine, die for feminine, das for neuter, and die for plural. These forms serve as the starting point for sentences where the noun functions as the subject.

Gender/Number	German Article	English Equivalent
Masculine	der	the
Feminine	die	the
Neuter	das	the
Plural	die	the

Which of these nouns takes die as the definite article in the nominative case? (Select all that apply)

das Buch

die Bücher

die Katze

der Hund

die Zeitung

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Cases

German has four cases—nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive—that each serve a distinct role in marking the function of nouns and pronouns within the sentence. The definite article changes form according to these cases, so identifying the case is key to interpreting meaning.

Case	Role	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	Subject	der	die	das	die
Accusative	Direct Object	den	die	das	die
Dative	Indirect Object	dem	der	dem	den
Genitive	Possession	des	der	des	der

Which article would you use for a masculine noun as the direct object (accusative case)?

die

den

der

das

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Usage

Use the definite article when referring to a specific noun that is known to the listener or has been previously mentioned. The article also appears with general categories, institutional contexts, and when a noun is modified by an adjective or a phrase.

When do you use the definite article in German? (Select all that apply)

Always before every noun regardless of meaning

When talking about general categories or abstractions

When the noun is modified by an adjective or phrase

When the noun is indefinite (unspecified)

When referring to a specific noun known to the listener

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Summary

The definite article signals gender, number, and case, guiding you to each noun's role in the sentence. Start by memorizing the nominative articles and the four cases' forms, then practice identifying and applying them in context.

Additional Notes

Some regional and stylistic variations affect article usage, and certain set expressions omit the article, so exposure to natural German through listening and reading will help internalize typical patterns beyond the core table.