01
der
the
Definite article that accompanies a masculine noun in the singular nominative.
example
Der Hund bellt.
The dog barks.
der
the
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Article or relative pronoun?
You can tell whether 'der' (the/who) is an article or a relative pronoun from the sentence structure. As a relative pronoun, it introduces a subordinate clause, and the conjugated verb comes at the end of that subordinate clause.
EXAMPLE
Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Bruder.
The man who is standing there is my brother.
Article or demonstrative pronoun?
As a demonstrative pronoun, 'der' (that one/he) is strongly stressed and can stand alone to refer to a person or thing. As an unstressed article, it always stands directly before its noun or an adjective.
EXAMPLE
Wer hat das Glas zerbrochen? – Der da war's!
Who broke the glass? – That guy did it!
Dative and genitive with 'die' words
Although 'der' (the) is the masculine article for the nominative, it is also used for feminine nouns when they are in the dative or genitive.
EXAMPLE
Er hilft der alten Dame über die Straße.
He helps the old lady across the street.
Word order in relative clauses
When 'der' (who/that) introduces a relative clause, the conjugated verb always comes at the end of the clause that begins with 'der'.
EXAMPLE
Ich kenne den Jungen, der jeden Morgen die Zeitung bringt.
I know the boy who delivers the newspaper every morning.
Genitive in the plural
In the genitive plural, the article 'der' (of the) is always used, regardless of the gender of the nouns in the singular.
EXAMPLE
Die Entscheidung der Politiker wurde kritisiert.
The politicians' decision was criticized.
Colloquial usage
As a demonstrative pronoun, 'der' (that one/he) is often used in spoken language to point to a person or identify them.
EXAMPLE
Schau mal, der hat ja rote Haare!
Look, that guy has red hair!
Compare with
der vs die
the
'der' and 'die' are both among the most common forms in German. Both can be articles, relative pronouns, or demonstrative pronouns. The most important difference is grammatical gender, number, and case. For example, 'der' fits a masculine noun in the nominative: 'der Mann' (the man). 'die' fits a feminine noun or nouns in the plural: 'die Frau' (the woman), 'die Kinder' (the children). Learners easily confuse the forms because both occur very often, and 'der' can also be used with feminine nouns in the dative or genitive. That is why you always have to pay attention to the noun, case, and number.
der
Der Bus kommt am Abend später als sonst.
The bus comes later than usual in the evening.
die
Nach dem Gespräch sucht meine Freundin die Kollegin auf der Feier.
After the conversation, my friend looks for the colleague at the party.
In real life
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