Try to memorize the article together with each new word you learn right away. And listen carefully to native Germans: Surprisingly, they all know the right articles (some dialects excepted).
Using der, die and das with plural nouns
A noun’s plural form is a little easier. No matter if the noun is masculine, feminine or neuter, in the plural form we always use die (the).
Let’s look at a few examples:
- der Mann (singular) – die Männer (plural)
- die Frau (singular) – die Frauen (plural)
- das Kind (singular) – die Kinder (plural)
Next, we’ll take a look at some tips to help you remember when to use these articles.
When to use der, die and das in German
Although choosing the correct definite article in German may seem tricky at first, the German language has certain rules that can help you know (or guess) which one to use.
1. Check the noun’s meaning
If the noun is animate, its grammatical gender tends to be the same as its actual gender: Male persons are usually masculine, female persons are usually feminine and young persons and baby animals are often neuter.
Here are some examples:
- der Bruder/die Schwester (brother/sister)
- der Opa/die Oma (grandad/grandma)
- das Kind/das Baby (child/baby)
- der Kater/die Katze (male cat/female cat)
- das Lamm (lamb)
Of course, as with all languages, there are exceptions to the rules. The word das Mädchen (the girl) is neuter from a grammatical point of view; however, it refers to a female person. And referring to animals may also need some thinking, as you can use die Katze as a generic word for all types of cats, regardless of their sex.
An easy way to identify whether nouns that refer to people are masculine or feminine is by looking at their endings.
For instance, we add -in to nouns that refer to females. This rule especially applies to job titles such as Lehrer (male teacher) / Lehrerin (female teacher) or Koch (male cook) / Köchin (female cook), and also when we are characterizing or labeling a person in some way: Freund (male friend) / Freundin (female friend) or Lügner (male liar) / Lügnerin (female liar).
Exceptions: Some of the persons ending on -e can be masculine or feminine, e.g. "der Angestellte" (male employee), "die Angestellte" (female employee).
2. Learn noun categories
One can allocate German nouns to specific gender categories. For instance, seasons, directions on the compass, months and days of the week are all masculine.
Most weather words and alcoholic beverages also tend to be masculine, with the exception of das Bier (beer), which is neuter in German. Cars are masculine when you use their brand name.
- der Mai (May)
- der Sommer (the summer)
- der Montag (Monday)
- der Norden (the north)
- der Sturm (the storm)
- der Whisky (the whisky)
- der Audi (the Audi)
Feminine categories include tree and flower species and many fruits, as well as the brand names or proper names of motorbikes, ships and airplanes.
- die Rose (the rose)
- die Zitrone (the lemon)
- die Tanne (the fir)
- die Kawasaki (the Kawasaki motorbike)
- die Titanic (the Titanic)
Nouns are neuter when they refer to the names of restaurants, cafes, hotels and movie theaters.
- das Ritz (hotel)
- das P1 (club)
- das Alex (cafe)
Also, good to know: If a verb is used as a noun, that noun is neuter: leben/das Leben (to live/ life).
