German Articles and Genders
In German, articles (words like "the" and "a") are a bit more complicated than in English because they change depending on the gender of the noun. German has three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter, plus a different form for plural (when there’s more than one). Learning the gender of each noun is really important before moving on to grammar rules, as it affects how nouns change in different sentences.
Unlike some languages, where it’s easier to guess the gender of a noun, German requires more memorization. That’s why it’s helpful to learn each noun with its article from the beginning—it will save you trouble later on.
Definite Articles (the)
- Masculine: der
- Feminine: die
- Neuter: das
- Plural: die
Indefinite Articles (a/an)
- Masculine: ein
- Feminine: eine
- Neuter: ein
German grammar rules change depending on gender, so learning the gender with each noun will make things much easier as you go.
Here are some common nouns grouped by gender to help you get started.
Masculine | |
der Satz | sentence |
der Buchstabe | letter, character |
der Morgen | morning |
der Tag | day |
der Abend | evening |
der Montag | Monday |
der Dienstag | Tuesday |
der Mittwoch | Wednesday |
der Donnerstag | Thursday |
der Samstag | Saturday |
der Sonntag | Sunday |
der Monat | month |
der Park | park |
der Laden | shop, store |
der Markt | market |
der Berg | mountain |
der Wald | forest |
der Zoo | zoo |
der Fluss | river |
der Strand | beach |
der Tisch | table |
der Stuhl | chair |
der Kaffee | coffee |
der Saft | juice |
der Zucker | sugar |
der Computer | computer |
der Fernseher | television |
der Film | film, movie |
der Löffel | spoon |
der Teller | plate |
der Schuh | shoe |
der Bus | bus |
der Regen | rain |
der Schnee | snow |
der Winter | winter |
der Frühling | spring |
der Sommer | summer |
der Herbst | autumn |
Feminine | |
die Sprache | language |
die Nachricht | message, news |
die Woche | week |
die Welt | world |
die Erde | earth |
die Schule | school |
die Bank | bank |
die Straße | street |
die Kirche | church |
die Küche | kitchen |
die Toilette | toilet |
die Wolke | cloud |
die Milch | milk |
die Schokolade | chocolate |
die Gabel | fork |
die Tasse | cup |
die Decke | ceiling, blanket |
die Musik | music |
die Tasche | bag |
die Tür | door |
die Wand | wall |
die Arbeit | work, job |
die Zeit | time |
Neuter | |
das Wort | word |
das Jahr | year |
das Haus | house |
das Gebäude | building |
das Büro | office |
das Zimmer | room |
das Land | country, land |
das Dorf | village |
das Essen | food |
das Mittagessen | lunch |
das Abendessen | dinner |
das Frühstück | breakfast |
das Gemüse | vegetables |
das Obst | fruit |
das Fleisch | meat |
das Glas | glass |
das Wasser | water |
das Messer | knife |
das Salz | salt |
das Meer | sea |
das Wetter | weather |
das Kissen | pillow |
das Bett | bed |
das Telefon | telephone |
das Fenster | window |
das Dach | roof |
das Papier | paper |
das Spielzeug | toy |
das Hemd | shirt |
das Buch | book |
das Problem | problem |
Tips for Remembering German Gender: Grouping by Category
Time:
- Masculine: Days of the week (Monday-Sunday) and words ending in "tag" (e.g., Geburtstag - birthday)
- Feminine: Seasons - Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Neuter: Mealtimes - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Speaking:
- Masculine: Sentence (Satz), Letter (Buchstabe)
- Feminine: Language (Sprache)
- Neuter: Word (Wort)
Place:
- Masculine: Park (Park), Store (Laden), Market (Markt), Mountain (Berg), Forest (Wald), Zoo (Zoo), Beach (Strand), River (Fluss)
- Feminine: World (Welt), Earth (Erde), School (Schule), Bank (Bank), Street (Straße), Church (Kirche), Kitchen (Küche), Toilet (Toilette)
- Neuter: Country (Land), Village (Dorf), Building (Gebäude), House (Haus), Office (Büro), Room words like Zimmer, including Badezimmer (bathroom) and Schlafzimmer (bedroom)
Things:
- Masculine: Table (Tisch), Chair (Stuhl), Juice (Saft), Coffee (Kaffee), Sugar (Zucker), Television (Fernseher), Computer (Computer), Spoon (Löffel), Plate (Teller)
- Feminine: Blanket (Decke), Door (Tür), Wall (Wand), Milk (Milch), Chocolate (Schokolade), Fork (Gabel), Cup (Tasse)
- Neuter: Bed (Bett), Pillow (Kissen), Window (Fenster), Roof (Dach), Water (Wasser), Salt (Salz), Telephone (Telefon), Book (Buch), Paper (Papier), Toy (Spielzeug), Knife (Messer)
Grouping nouns by theme can make it easier to remember their gender. Try memorizing a few categories at a time, and soon the genders will start to feel more natural!