Definite articles in German signal that a noun refers to something specific and they change form according to gender, number, and grammatical case.
Overview
German has three gender-based definite articles for singular nouns der*, *die*, *das and one for plural die, and each article changes form to reflect the noun's case: nominative, accusative, dative, or genitive.
Gender and Number
Every German noun has a gender—masculine, feminine, or neuter—that determines which definite article you use in the singular, while the plural definite article is die regardless of gender.
| Gender | Singular Article | Plural Article | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der | die | |
| Feminine | die | die | |
| Neuter | das | die |
The man is reading the newspaper.
Cases
The definite article changes form to show the noun's grammatical role in the sentence: nominative for subjects, accusative for direct objects, dative for indirect objects, and genitive for possession or close relationships.
| 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 |
Usage
Use the definite article when referring to something known, previously mentioned, unique, or specified by context, and when talking about general categories with nouns in the singular.
Summary
Learn the gender of nouns and memorize the definite article forms for each case so you can signal exact meaning and grammatical function in German sentences.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025