Der, die or das? German articles and the rules for gender
Every German noun is masculine, feminine or neuter, and the article shows which: der, die or das. Gender is not random as often as it seems. Many endings and word groups tell you the article, and the rest you learn with the word. Here are the rules that work, with their exceptions.
The, a and the plural
Der, die and das all mean “the”; ein and eine mean “a”. There is only one plural article, die, and no plural of ein.
der Mann
Say it: dayr MAN
the man (masculine)
die Frau
Say it: dee FROW
the woman (feminine)
das Kind
Say it: das KINT
the child (neuter)
die Kinder
Say it: dee KIN-der
the children (plural)
Every plural takes die, whatever the gender of the singular.
ein Stuhl
Say it: ain SHTOOL
a chair (masculine)
eine Tasche
Say it: AI-nuh TA-shuh
a bag (feminine)
ein Fenster
Say it: ain FENS-ter
a window (neuter)
der: masculine nouns
-ling
der Frühling, der Schmetterling, der Lehrling
-ismus
der Tourismus, der Journalismus
-ig
der Honig, der König, der Essig
-or
der Motor, der Autor, der Traktor
Watch out: das Labor
-ant, -ent (people)
der Praktikant, der Student, der Präsident
-er (people and machines)
der Lehrer, der Computer, der Fahrer
Watch out: many other -er nouns are not masculine: die Mutter, das Fenster
By meaning: Male people and animals (der Vater, der Hahn), days, months and seasons (der Montag, der Mai, der Winter), compass points (der Norden), weather (der Regen, der Schnee, der Wind), most alcoholic drinks (der Wein, der Schnaps, but das Bier) and car makes (der BMW).
die: feminine nouns
-ung
die Zeitung, die Wohnung, die Rechnung
-heit, -keit
die Freiheit, die Gesundheit, die Möglichkeit
-schaft
die Freundschaft, die Mannschaft
-ion
die Nation, die Information, die Religion
-tät
die Universität, die Qualität
-ie, -ik
die Familie, die Biologie, die Musik, die Politik
-ei
die Bäckerei, die Polizei
Watch out: das Ei
-ur
die Natur, die Kultur, die Temperatur
Watch out: das Abitur
-e (most)
die Lampe, die Straße, die Blume
Watch out: der Name, der Junge, der Käse, das Auge, das Ende
By meaning: Female people and animals (die Mutter, die Kuh), numbers used as nouns (die Eins, die Drei) and most trees and flowers (die Eiche, die Rose).
das: neuter nouns
-chen, -lein
das Mädchen, das Brötchen, das Fräulein
-um
das Museum, das Zentrum, das Datum
-ment
das Dokument, das Instrument, das Experiment
Watch out: der Zement
-ma
das Thema, das Klima, das Drama
Watch out: die Firma
-nis (most)
das Ergebnis, das Zeugnis, das Geheimnis
Watch out: die Erlaubnis, die Kenntnis
verbs as nouns
das Essen, das Schwimmen, das Leben
By meaning: Young people and animals (das Kind, das Baby, das Kalb), metals (das Gold, das Eisen), colours and languages used as nouns (das Blau, das Deutsche), letters of the alphabet (das A) and most countries and towns (das schöne Berlin, though they are normally used without an article).
Compound nouns: the last word decides
German builds long nouns by joining short ones, and the whole word takes the gender of its last part. Das Haus + die Tür = die Haustür, the front door. Die Hand + der Schuh = der Handschuh, the glove. Find the last noun and you have the article.
Same word, different article
A few nouns change meaning with their gender.
| der Seethe lake | die Seethe sea |
| der Leiterthe leader, manager | die Leiterthe ladder |
| die Steuerthe tax | das Steuerthe steering wheel |
| der Bandthe volume (book) | die Bandthe band (music) |
| der Kieferthe jaw | die Kieferthe pine tree |
The article changes with the case
Der, die and das are the nominative, the form you find in the dictionary. When a noun is the object of a sentence the article changes: Der Hund schläft, but Ich sehe den Hund. Every form is in the German cases chart, and the pronouns that replace a noun (er, sie, es) follow its gender too: German personal pronouns.
Questions
How do you know if a German noun is der, die or das?
Often from its ending: -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft and -ion are always die, -chen and -lein are always das, and -ling and -ismus are der. Meaning helps too: days, months and seasons are der. For the rest, learn every noun together with its article, as one word: not Tisch but der Tisch.
Why is Mädchen (girl) neuter?
Because of its ending. Mädchen is the diminutive of the old word Magd with -chen, and every -chen noun is neuter, whatever it means. So it is das Mädchen. In speech, many Germans still refer back to a girl with sie rather than es.
What is the plural of der, die and das?
Die, for every gender: der Mann, die Männer; die Frau, die Frauen; das Kind, die Kinder. In the dative plural it becomes den: mit den Kindern.
Is 'die' always feminine?
No. Die is the feminine singular and also the plural of every noun, and der doubles as the feminine dative and genitive. That is why it helps to learn the plural and the case chart, not just the singular article.
What gender are compound nouns?
The gender of the last part. Das Haus plus die Tür makes die Haustür (the front door); die Hand plus der Schuh makes der Handschuh (the glove).
Do Austrians and Swiss use the same articles?
Almost always, with a few famous exceptions: in Germany it is die E-Mail and die Cola, while in Austria and Switzerland you will often hear das E-Mail, and das Cola in Austria and southern Germany.
Are German nouns ending in -e always feminine?
Not always, but most of them are, which makes -e the most useful single guess in German. The exceptions are mostly male people and animals (der Junge, der Löwe), a group of masculine nouns like der Name and der Käse, and a few neuters such as das Auge and das Ende.
Keep going
Articles and gender open unit 2 of the A1 course, with audio, drills and a quiz. The first three lessons are free.