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
der
the
Definite article that accompanies a feminine noun in the singular dative or genitive.
EXAMPLE
Ich gebe der Frau das Buch.
I give the woman the book.
der
who / that
Relative pronoun that introduces a subordinate clause and refers to a masculine noun in the singular nominative.
EXAMPLE
Das ist der Mann, der mir geholfen hat.
That is the man who helped me.
der
of the
Definite article that accompanies nouns in the plural genitive.
EXAMPLE
Das ist das Haus der Eltern.
That is the parents' house.
der
that one
Demonstrative pronoun that points to a specific masculine person or thing.
EXAMPLE
Wer hat das getan? – Der war es!
Who did that? – It was him!
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 can both refer to a particular noun, but der is used here with a masculine noun in the singular, while die accompanies a feminine noun in the singular. What matters is the noun’s gender and case: der Mann, but die Frau.
der
Der Mann wartet vor dem Bahnhof.
The man is waiting in front of the train station.
die
Die Frau wartet vor dem Bahnhof.
The woman is waiting in front of the train station.
In real life
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