About us
Our goal is not to overload students with heavy grammar, turning them into philologists, but to teach a real, living language. The one you hear in a store, the one that allows you to communicate, meet people and clearly articulate your thoughts in a foreign language.
sales team
Artikles in German: how to use them correctly
12.05.2024
4 minutes to read
Articles in German may seem complicated to those who are just beginning to learn the language. However, understanding the rules of their use will greatly simplify the learning process. In this article, we will look at the main types of articles, their forms and peculiarities of use. Together we will look at how to choose the right article in different situations, so that your speech in German becomes more accurate and literate.
Table of contents
Artikles in German are small words that come before nouns. They help you understand who or what you are talking about. There are no articles in Russian, so they can be difficult to understand at first. But they are actually very important and useful!There are two kinds of articles in German: definite and indefinite. Definite articles refer to a specific object that is already known or has been mentioned before. For example, if we say "der Hund", we mean a specific dog that everyone knows about. Indefinite articles are used when we are talking about an object in general rather than a specific one. For example, "ein Hund" is just any dog, not a specific one.
Here's a table of articles to make it clearer:
Here's a table of articles to make it clearer:
What are artikles in German and what are they for?
Now let's look at what artikles are for. They help us understand
Gender: There are three genders in German: masculine, feminine and neuter. The articles show which gender a word belongs to. For example, "der Tisch" (table) is masculine, "die Lampe" (lamp) is feminine, and "das Auto" (car) is neuter.
Certainty: The articles help us understand whether we are talking about something specific or not. This is important so that we don't get confused. For example, if we say "Ich habe einen Hund" (I have a dog), it is any dog. But if we say "Der Hund ist groß" (This dog is big), we are talking about a specific dog.
Number: The articles also help you understand whether we are talking about something in the singular or the plural. For example, "die Katze" (cat) is singular, but "die Katzen" (cats) is plural.
That's how articles help us understand each other better and make our speech more precise. Although it may seem difficult at first, over time you will get used to it and using articles will become natural to you!
Gender: There are three genders in German: masculine, feminine and neuter. The articles show which gender a word belongs to. For example, "der Tisch" (table) is masculine, "die Lampe" (lamp) is feminine, and "das Auto" (car) is neuter.
Certainty: The articles help us understand whether we are talking about something specific or not. This is important so that we don't get confused. For example, if we say "Ich habe einen Hund" (I have a dog), it is any dog. But if we say "Der Hund ist groß" (This dog is big), we are talking about a specific dog.
Number: The articles also help you understand whether we are talking about something in the singular or the plural. For example, "die Katze" (cat) is singular, but "die Katzen" (cats) is plural.
That's how articles help us understand each other better and make our speech more precise. Although it may seem difficult at first, over time you will get used to it and using articles will become natural to you!
The definite article in German is very important because it helps us to understand what kind of object or person we are talking about. Let's find out how to use them correctly.
The definite articles in German depend on the gender and number of the noun. Here is a table of them:
The definite articles in German depend on the gender and number of the noun. Here is a table of them:
How to use certain articles
Now let's look at how these artifices are used in sentences.
Nominativ
When we talk about who or what is the subject in a sentence, we use Nominativ.
For example:
Akkusativ
When we talk about who or what is affected by an action, we use Akkusativ.
For example:
Dativ
When we talk about who or what an action is directed to, we use Dativ.
For example:
Genitiv
When we talk about whose object it is, we use Genitiv.
For example:
Das ist das Haus des Mannes. (This is a man's house.)
Der Name der Frau ist Anna.
Die Farbe des Autos ist rot. (The color of the car is red.)
Die Bücher der Kinder sind auf dem Tisch. (The children's books are on the table.)
Using certain articles may seem difficult at first, because you have to remember the genders and cases. But if you practice and read a lot, it will become easier over time. Artikles make speech more precise and help you understand each other better. So don't be afraid of mistakes and try to use them as often as possible
Nominativ
When we talk about who or what is the subject in a sentence, we use Nominativ.
For example:
- Der Hund spielt im Garten. (The dog plays in the garden.)
- Die Katze schläft auf dem Sofa. (The cat sleeps on the sofa.)
- Das Auto ist neu. (The car is new.)
- Die Bücher sind interessant. (The books are interesting.)
Akkusativ
When we talk about who or what is affected by an action, we use Akkusativ.
For example:
- Ich sehe den Hund. (I see a dog.)
- Er kauft die Lampe. (He buys a lamp.)
- Sie hat das Buch gelesen. (She read the book.)
- Wir haben die Blumen gepflückt. (We picked the flowers.)
Dativ
When we talk about who or what an action is directed to, we use Dativ.
For example:
- Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch.
- Sie schenkt der Frau eine Blume. (She gives the woman a flower.)
- Er hilft dem Kind. (He helps the child.)
- Wir zeigen den Freunden die Stadt. (We show our friends the city.)
Genitiv
When we talk about whose object it is, we use Genitiv.
For example:
Das ist das Haus des Mannes. (This is a man's house.)
Der Name der Frau ist Anna.
Die Farbe des Autos ist rot. (The color of the car is red.)
Die Bücher der Kinder sind auf dem Tisch. (The children's books are on the table.)
Using certain articles may seem difficult at first, because you have to remember the genders and cases. But if you practice and read a lot, it will become easier over time. Artikles make speech more precise and help you understand each other better. So don't be afraid of mistakes and try to use them as often as possible
The indefinite article in German is also very important. They are used when we talk about an object or a person in general, not about something specific. These articles depend on the noun's gender and number. Here is a table of them:
Rules for using the indefinite article
As you can see from the table, there is no indefinite article for plurals in German. Now let's see how these articles are used in sentences.
Nominativ
When we talk about an object or person in general, we use Nominativ.
For example:
Akkusativ
When we talk about an object or person to whom an action is directed, we use Akkusativ.
For example:
Dativ
When we talk about an object or person to whom an action is directed, we use Dativ.
For example:
Genitiv
When we talk about belonging to an object or person, we use Genitiv.
For example:
The use of indefinite articles helps us to talk about something vague or general. They are very useful when we don't know exactly what or who we are talking about, or when it doesn't matter. Over time you'll get used to using them and it will become easy and natural for you. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and practice as much as you can!
Nominativ
When we talk about an object or person in general, we use Nominativ.
For example:
- Ein Hund bellt im Garten. (Some dog is barking in the garden.)
- Eine Katze sitzt auf dem Fensterbrett. (Some cat is sitting on the windowsill.)
- Ein Auto steht vor dem Haus. (Some car is standing in front of the house.)
Akkusativ
When we talk about an object or person to whom an action is directed, we use Akkusativ.
For example:
- Ich sehe einen Hund. (I see some kind of dog.)
- Er kauft eine Lampe. (He buys some kind of lamp.)
- Sie hat ein Buch gelesen. (She has read some book.)
Dativ
When we talk about an object or person to whom an action is directed, we use Dativ.
For example:
- Ich gebe einem Mann ein Buch. (I give some man a book.)
- Sie schenkt einer Frau eine Blume. (She gives some woman a flower.)
- Er hilft einem Kind. (He is helping some child.)
Genitiv
When we talk about belonging to an object or person, we use Genitiv.
For example:
- Das ist das Haus eines Mannes. (This is some man's house.)
- Der Name einer Frau ist Anna.
- Die Farbe eines Autos ist rot. (The color of some car is red.)
The use of indefinite articles helps us to talk about something vague or general. They are very useful when we don't know exactly what or who we are talking about, or when it doesn't matter. Over time you'll get used to using them and it will become easy and natural for you. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and practice as much as you can!
This website uses cookies to give you the best possible experience.
OK
