This article is for those learning German from level A1.
In German, there are three definite articles: der der for masculine words, die for feminine words, and das for neuter words. Those who learned German as their native language usually know intuitively which article a word takes. For foreigners learning German, however, the only option is to memorize them, as there are hardly any rules for determining the article. Here are some guidelines:
The following words are masculine:
| Male persons and professions | der Vater, der Bäcker, der Juwelier usw. |
| Seasons | der Frühling, der Herbst usw. |
| Months | der Juli, der August usw. |
| Days of the week | der Samstag, der Sonntag usw. |
| Wind directions | der Norden, der Osten usw. |
| Weather | der Regen, der Blitz usw. |
| Car brands | der Nissan, der Honda usw. |
| Trains | der IC, der Regionalexpress usw. |
| Alcoholic beverages | der Cognac, der Wein usw. |
| Nouns derived from verbs without endings | der Gesang, der Fang, der Abbruch |
| Endings also provide clues for masculine gender: | |
| -er | der Rentner, der Drucker, der Computer |
| -ling | der Schützling, der Schmetterling |
| -or | der Reaktor, der Professor |
| -ist | der Journalist, der Pazifist |
| -ismus | der Kapitalismus, der Mechanismus |
The following words are feminine:
| Ship names | die Gorch Fock, die Europa usw. |
| Motorcycle brands | die Suzuki, die Triumph usw. |
| Airplanes | die Boeing, die Concorde usw. |
| Numbers | die Eins, die Zwei, die Drei usw. |
| Flowers | die Rose, die Tulpe, die Hyazinthe |
| Endings also indicate feminine gender: | |
| -e | die Tasche, die Ente, die Lampe |
| -t | die Fahrt, die Tat, die Nacht |
| -ei | die Wäscherei, die Bäckerei |
| -ie | die Psychologie, die Arterie |
| -in | die Prinzessin, die Ärztin |
| -schaft | die Freundschaft, die Mannschaft |
| -heit/-keit | die Gelegenheit, die Schnelligkeit |
| -ung | die Zeitung, die Umleitung |
| Endings of foreign words also provide clues: | |
| -ion | die Diskussion, die Tradition |
| -age | die Garage, die Passage |
| -ur | die Agentur, die Manufaktur |
| -ik | die Physik, die Metrik |
| -anz | die Akzeptanz, die Ignoranz |
| -tät | die Qualität, die Fakultät |
| -ade | die Parade, die Marmelade |
| -enz | die Präsenz, die Tendenz |
The following words are neuter:
| Nominalized adjectives | das Schöne, das Gute |
| Nominalized verbs | das Schreiben, das Tippen |
| Color names | das Grün, das Rot, das Gelb usw. |
| Metals | das Aluminium, das Eisen usw. |
| Chemical elements | das Wolfram, das Uran usw. |
| Endings also provide clues for neuter gender: | |
| Diminutive: -chen | das Mädchen, das Heftchen |
| Diminutive: -lein | das Kindlein, das Bachlein |
| -um | das Publikum, das Zentrum |
| -nis | das Zeugnis, das Ergebnis |
| -tum | das Altertum, das Datum |
| -ment | das Instrument, das Parlament |
| -o | das Radio, das Kino, das Auto |
| Nouns with the prefix Ge- are often neuter | |
| Ge- | das Gehölz, das Geflügel, das Gemüse (collective words) |
| Ge- | das Geräusch, das Gestöber, das Gebet, das Gerüst (abstract concepts from verbs) |
*These rules apply to most of the categories listed above. However, there are exceptions. Therefore, it is very important to learn nouns together with their articles from the beginning.
There are some nouns (according to Duden, 1.5%) that can have multiple articles. Sometimes the article determines the meaning of the word, e.g.:
· der Band (single book)
· die Band (musical group)
· das Band (tape)
Sometimes two or all three articles are possible, e.g.:
· der / die / das Joghurt
· der / das Meter
· der / das Virus
In compound nouns, the article of the last noun is decisive.
| der Herbst + das Wetter | ➤ | das Herbstwetter |
| der Tisch + die Decke | ➤ | die Tischdecke |
| das Schlafzimmer + der Schrank | ➤ | der Schlafzimmerschrank |
| der Reifen + der Druck + das Messgerät | ➤ | das Reifendruckmessgerät |
| der Monat + das Geld | ➤ | das Monatsgeld |
Also, in combinations like Verb + Noun, Adjective + Noun , or Preposition + Noun , the last word determines the article.
| Wasch (Verb: waschen) + der Lappen | ➤ | der Waschlappen |
| durch (Preposition) + der Bruch | ➤ | der Durchbruch |
| vor (Preposition) + das Dach | ➤ | das Vordach |
| groß (Adjective) + die Eltern | ➤ | die Großeltern |
| rot (Adjective) + das Gold | ➤ | das Rotgold |
The exercises are designed to help you practice dealing with articles in German so that you can master the grammar and communicate confidently.
Vocabulary building exercises at different language levels are designed to help you increase your vocabulary and improve your speaking skills.
Learning materials on the declination of nouns will help you understand the basic rules of declination of words in different cases and grammatical numbers.