1.4 Making Things Clear!

Fast Forward!
One of the most common words in many languages is the. In German, there is
more than one word for the. There are 3 different options, depending on the
gender of the noun youre talking about. The short defining word before the
noun is really part of the noun. It is called an article.

Define it
You may not have learned this at school, but in English the word the is called a
definite article. That is because the word the points to a very specific thing.
For example, you may tell someone, I want the book, assuming that they will
bring you the book you have in mind.

Or not!
However, if you tell them, I want a book, you will get whatever book they
choose to hand you! That is because the words a or an or some are indefinite
articles and point to a general group of items, things, people or places.

Lets Get it Straight!

The definite articles singular in German are

der = masculine article, the, e.g. der Tisch (the table)

die = feminine article, the, e.g. die Tasse (the cup)

das = neuter article, the, e.g. das Kind (the child)

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The indefinite articles singular in German are

ein = masculine article, the, e.g. ein Tisch (a table)

eine = feminine article, the, e.g. eine Tasse (a cup)

ein = neuter article, the, e.g. ein Kind (a child)

As mentioned previously, the article (the) before a noun in German is not only
an integral part of the word, but is also a major clue to the gender of the
word. In other words, as you learn new words, you should always be learning
them with either a der in front, as in der Tisch (the table), a die in front, as in
die Tasse (the cup), or a das in front, as in das Kind (the child). This will help
you to understand the concept of gender as you build up your vocabulary.
Articles can be singular or plural. We will have a look at the plural articles
further down the track. Lets focus on the singular articles in the meantime.

Action Replay:
Nouns in German are either masculine, feminine or neuter and refer to
a person, animal, thing or concept.

The short word in front of a noun (the, a, or an) is called an article.

Definite articles point to something specific, like the book.

Indefinite articles point to something more general, like a book.

The definite articles are der, die and das.

The indefinite articles are ein, eine, ein.

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For Example
der Junge

the boy

das Mdchen

the girl

die Frau

the woman

das Baby

the baby

der Baum

the tree

das Buch

the book

die Brste

the brush

der Apfel

the apple

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das Spiel

the game

die Banane

the banana

das Wasser

the water

Some more examples

ein Glas

a glass

ein Junge

a boy

ein Schal

a scarf

eine Mtze

a hat

ein Mdchen

a girl

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ein Teddybr

a teddy bear

eine Frau

a woman

eine Schrze

an apron

eine Tte

a bag

ein Kind

a child

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Test your German Skills:
In the space provided, write whether the noun should have der, die or das in
front of it. The first one is done for you!

der__ Mann - the man (masculine)

1. _____ Frau - the woman (feminine)

2. _____ Sonne - the sun (feminine)

3. _____ See - the lake (masculine)

4. _____ Restaurant - the restaurant (neuter)

5. _____ Freund - the friend (masculine)

6. _____ Museum - the museum (neuter)

7. _____ Flughafen - the airport (masculine)

8. _____ Feier - the party (feminine)

9. _____ Garten - the garden (masculine)

10. _____ Arbeit - the work (feminine)

11. _____ Mietauto - the rental car (neuter)

12. _____ Bahnhof - the train station (masculine)

13. _____ Fahrrad - the bike (neuter)

14. _____ Tasse - the cup (feminine)

15. _____ Tag - the day (masculine)

16. _____ Wetter - the weather (neuter)

17. _____ Telefon - the telephone (neuter)

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In the space provided, write whether the noun should have ein, eine or ein in
front of it.

ein__ Stuhl - a chair (masculine)

18. _____ Frau - a woman (feminine)

19. _____ Buch - a book (neuter)

20. _____ Baum - a tree (masculine)

21. _____ Konzert - a concert (neuter)

22. _____ Glas - a glass (neuter)

23. _____ Banane - a banana (feminine)

24. _____ Kind - a child (neuter)

25. _____ Junge - a boy (masculine)

26. _____ Mdchen - a girl (neuter)

27. _____ Gemlde - a painting (neuter)

28. _____ Koffer - a suitcase (masculine)

29. _____ Kaffee - a coffee (masculine)

30. _____ Tasse - a cup (feminine)

31. _____ Haus - a house (neuter)

32. _____ Hose - a pair of pants (feminine)

33. _____ Apfel - an apple (masculine)

34. _____ Woche - a week (feminine)

35. _____ Computer - a computer (masculine)

36. _____ Blume - a flower (feminine)

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The Answers!
1. die Frau - the woman (feminine)

2. die Sonne - the sun (feminine)

3. der See - the lake (masculine)

4. das Restaurant - the restaurant (neuter)

5. der Freund - the friend (masculine)

6. das Museum - the museum (neuter)

7. der Flughafen - the airport (masculine)

8. die Feier - the party (feminine)

9. der Garten - the garden (masculine)

10. die Arbeit - the work (feminine)

11. das Mietauto - the rental car (neuter)

12. der Bahnhof - the train station (masculine)

13. das Fahrrad - the bike (neuter)

14. die Tasse - the cup (feminine)

15. der Tag - the day (masculine)

16. das Wetter - the weather (neuter)

17. das Telefon - the telephone (neuter)

18. eine Frau - a woman (feminine)

19. ein Buch - a book (neuter)

20. ein Baum - a tree (masculine)

21. ein Konzert - a concert (neuter)

22. ein Glas - a glass (neuter)

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23. eine Banane - a banana (feminine)

24. ein Kind - a child (neuter)

25. ein Junge - a boy (masculine)

26. ein Mdchen - a girl (neuter)

27. ein Gemlde - a painting (neuter)

28. ein Koffer - a suitcase (masculine)

29. ein Kaffee - a coffee (masculine)

30. eine Tasse - a cup (feminine)

31. ein Haus - a house (neuter)

32. eine Hose - a pair of pants (feminine)

33. ein Apfel - an apple (masculine)

34. eine Woche - a week (feminine)

35. ein Computer - a computer (masculine)

36. eine Blume - a flower (feminine)

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