Articles in the Nominativ (der / die / das / ein / eine)
A1 German grammar — Grammar. In the nominative (subject position) the definite articles are: *der* (masc. sg.), *die* (fem. sg. or any plural), *das*…
Rule explained
In the nominative (subject position) the definite articles are: *der* (masc. sg.), *die* (fem. sg. or any plural), *das* (neut. sg.). The indefinite articles are *ein* (masc./neut.) and *eine* (fem.). Plural nouns in the nominative always use *die* for the definite article and no article (or *keine*) for the indefinite/negative sense. German speakers of English often drop the article entirely in general statements (*„I like cat“*). English learners of German must remember the article is almost always required.
Examples
Use these mini-pairs as templates:
- Der Bus kommt. — The bus is coming.
- Eine Katze sitzt auf dem Fenster. — A cat is sitting on the windowsill.
- Die Kinder spielen im Park. — The children are playing in the park.
Common mistakes
Watch out for these learner errors:
- „Ein Kind“ is correct; „Einen Kind“ is accusative — wrong for subject position.
- Forgetting the article with professions in descriptions: *„Sie ist Lehrerin“* is OK, but *„Sie ist eine Lehrerin“* is also common and correct.