01
die
the
Definite article that accompanies a feminine noun in the singular nominative or accusative.
example
Die Sonne scheint und ich sehe die Straße.
The sun is shining and I see the street.
die
the
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Same in nominative and accusative
The article 'die' (the) has the same form in the nominative and accusative both for feminine nouns in the singular and for all nouns in the plural. You do not need to change the article in these cases.
EXAMPLE
Die Frau liest ein Buch.
The woman is reading a book.
Singular or plural?
You can tell whether 'die' (the) accompanies a noun in the singular or plural from two things: the form of the noun, for example a plural ending, and the conjugation of the verb.
EXAMPLE
Die Katze schläft.
The cat is sleeping.
Word order in relative clauses
When 'die' (who/that) introduces a relative clause, the conjugated verb always comes at the end of that clause. This applies when it refers to feminine nouns in the singular and to nouns in the plural.
EXAMPLE
Das ist die Frau, die mir geholfen hat.
That is the woman who helped me.
Stressed as a pointing word
When 'die' (that one/those) is strongly stressed, it functions as a demonstrative pronoun to point to specific people or things. It can then also stand alone.
EXAMPLE
Welche Tasche möchtest du? – Ich nehme die da.
Which bag would you like? – I'll take that one there.
Compare with
die vs der
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.
die
Nach dem Gespräch sucht meine Freundin die Kollegin auf der Feier.
After the conversation, my friend looks for the colleague at the party.
der
Der Bus kommt am Abend später als sonst.
The bus comes later than usual in the evening.
In real life
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