Learn German | der die das? | Rules for articles | Hints on how to guess the german articles | A1

Learn German
8 Mar 201711:32

Summary

TLDRIn this video, you'll learn how to identify the correct article for German nouns, focusing on 'der,' 'die,' and 'das.' The lesson covers essential rules and tips for recognizing the gender of nouns based on their endings, categories like weekdays, months, and seasons, and exceptions to these rules. You'll also explore specific endings that indicate whether a noun is masculine, feminine, or neutral. By the end, you'll have a better understanding of how to determine the article of a German noun with greater confidence.

Takeaways

  • 😀 German has three articles corresponding to masculine (der), feminine (die), and neutral (das) nouns.
  • 🔍 The article reveals the gender of a noun, which is crucial for understanding and usage in German sentences.
  • 👤 For people, the natural gender is the same as the grammatical gender, making it easier to determine the article.
  • 📚 There are no logical reasons for the articles of objects; they must be memorized through learning.
  • 👨‍👧 Masculine articles are used for masculine persons and professions, as well as for the names of weekdays and months.
  • 🌞 The cardinal directions and seasons in German are masculine and take the masculine article 'der'.
  • 🚗 Car brand names and words related to weather are also masculine and use the article 'der'.
  • 🍷 Alcohol names in German are masculine, with the exception of 'Thus via Enderlin'.
  • 📘 Masculine nouns often have specific endings like '-er', '-en', '-ig', and others that can help in identifying their article.
  • 👩 Feminine nouns are often associated with female persons and professions, as well as women-owned businesses.
  • 🌹 Feminine nouns may end in '-e', '-ei', 'heit', 'keit', and other endings, which are indicative of the feminine article 'die'.
  • 🚶 Neutral nouns, indicated by the article 'das', can be formed from verbs or adjectives and often have specific endings like '-chen', '-line', and '-tum'.

Q & A

  • What are the three articles in German, and what do they represent?

    -The three articles in German are 'der' for masculine nouns, 'die' for feminine nouns, and 'das' for neuter nouns. These articles reveal the gender of the noun they precede.

  • Can you identify the gender of a noun in German without knowing its article?

    -In most cases, you cannot identify the gender of a noun in German without knowing its article. However, for persons, the natural gender usually matches the grammatical gender.

  • What is one easy rule to remember about the article 'der'?

    -The article 'der' is used for masculine persons, masculine professions, names of weekdays, months, seasons, cardinal directions (e.g., der Norden), and many weather-related words.

  • What is an exception to the rule that alcohol names in German are masculine?

    -While most alcohol names in German are masculine (e.g., der Wein, der Sekt), an exception is 'das Bier,' which is neuter.

  • Which noun endings indicate a masculine noun in German?

    -Masculine nouns often end in '-er' (e.g., der Koffer), '-en' (e.g., der Rasen), '-ig' (e.g., der Honig), '-ling' (e.g., der Zwilling), '-or' (e.g., der Motor), '-ist' (e.g., der Tourist), and '-ismus' (e.g., der Optimismus).

  • Which endings typically indicate a feminine noun in German?

    -Feminine nouns often end in '-e' (e.g., die Lampe), '-ei' (e.g., die Bäckerei), '-heit' (e.g., die Krankheit), '-keit' (e.g., die Freundlichkeit), '-schaft' (e.g., die Freundschaft), '-ung' (e.g., die Zeitung), and '-ion' (e.g., die Nation).

  • When is the article 'das' used in German?

    -The article 'das' is used for neuter nouns, especially those formed from verbs or adjectives (e.g., das Essen, das Fahren), as well as for nouns ending in '-chen' (e.g., das Mädchen), '-lein' (e.g., das Fräulein), '-ment' (e.g., das Instrument), '-um' (e.g., das Zentrum), and '-o' (e.g., das Auto).

  • What is a common exception to the rule for identifying the article of German nouns?

    -Some exceptions include nouns like 'der Gast,' which do not follow standard rules, and shortened words ending in '-i,' which are masculine (e.g., der Audi). Additionally, diminutive forms like 'das Mädchen' (from die Maid) are neuter, despite the original word being feminine.

  • How do you form the diminutive of a noun in German, and what is its article?

    -The diminutive of a noun is formed by adding '-chen' or '-lein' to the noun. The article for the diminutive form is always 'das,' regardless of the original noun's gender (e.g., die Maid becomes das Mädchen).

  • Why is it important to learn the articles along with nouns in German?

    -Learning the articles along with nouns in German is crucial because the article determines the gender of the noun, which affects the form of adjectives, pronouns, and verbs that are used with the noun. Knowing the article is essential for correct grammar and communication.

Outlines

00:00

📘 German Articles for Masculine Nouns

The first paragraph introduces the topic of recognizing the articles of German nouns, focusing on masculine nouns. It explains that there are three articles in German: 'der' for masculine, 'die' for feminine, and 'das' for neutral. The paragraph emphasizes that the article reveals the gender of the noun, which is essential for learning but not always intuitive, especially for non-living objects. It mentions that there are rules to help identify the article, such as 'der' being used for masculine persons and professions, weekdays, months, seasons, directions, weather-related words, car company names, and certain masculine nouns with specific endings like '-er', '-en', '-ig', and more. The paragraph also notes that there are exceptions to these rules.

05:01

🌺 Feminine Nouns and Their Articles

The second paragraph delves into the feminine article 'die' in German, which is used for female persons, professions, women-owned businesses, and certain types of flowers. It outlines specific noun endings that typically indicate a feminine article, such as words ending in '-e', '-ei', '-heit', '-keit', 'schaft', and 'tum'. The paragraph provides examples for each ending and mentions that there are exceptions to these general rules, just as there are with masculine nouns.

10:03

🏳️ Neutral Nouns and Exceptions in German Grammar

The third paragraph discusses the neutral article 'das' and its use for non-living objects and abstract nouns. It highlights that words ending in '-chen', '-line', '-mensch', and '-heit' are often neutral. The paragraph also addresses exceptions to the rules, such as certain masculine nouns that do not follow the typical patterns, words shortened and ending with an 'i', and diminutive forms of nouns that are neutral despite the base noun being masculine. The paragraph concludes with an encouragement to the viewer to apply these rules to make learning German articles easier and invites feedback and questions in the comments section.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡German Grammar

German Grammar refers to the set of structural rules governing the composition of sentences, phrases, and words in the German language. The video's theme is focused on teaching viewers how to recognize the articles associated with nouns in German, which is a fundamental aspect of German grammar.

💡Article

In the context of German language, an 'article' is a type of adjective that precedes a noun to indicate the gender of the noun and whether it is definite or indefinite. The video provides tips on recognizing the correct article for nouns, which is essential for mastering German grammar.

💡Masculine

Masculine is one of the three grammatical genders in German, along with feminine and neutral. The script explains that certain articles, such as 'der', are used for masculine nouns, and provides examples like 'Vater' (father) and 'Monat' (month).

💡Feminine

Feminine is another grammatical gender in German. The video script mentions that the article 'die' is used for feminine nouns, including female persons and professions, and provides examples such as 'Mutter' (mother) and 'Blume' (flower).

💡Neutral

Neutral is the third grammatical gender in German, used with the article 'das'. The script explains that nouns that are neither masculine nor feminine are considered neutral, and it provides examples of nouns that fall under this category.

💡Nouns

Nouns are a part of speech that represent a person, place, thing, or idea. The video is centered around the use of articles with nouns in German, emphasizing the importance of knowing the gender of a noun to correctly use its article.

💡Professions

In the script, professions are mentioned as a category of nouns that can help in identifying the gender and, consequently, the article of the noun. For example, female professions are said to typically end with 'in' and are feminine, taking the article 'die'.

💡Weekdays and Months

The script specifies that the names of all weekdays and months are masculine and thus take the article 'der'. This is a rule that helps in identifying the article for these specific types of nouns.

💡Endings

The video script discusses various noun endings that can indicate the gender of a noun and, by extension, its article. For example, masculine nouns often end with '-er' or '-en', while feminine nouns may end with '-e' or '-heit'.

💡Exceptions

Exceptions refer to nouns that do not follow the standard rules for gender and article assignment. The script acknowledges that there are words in German that defy the general rules, such as 'Gast' (guest), which is masculine despite not fitting the typical patterns.

💡Learning

The overall message of the video is educational, aiming to teach viewers how to learn and apply the rules for recognizing articles in German. The script provides rules and examples to facilitate this learning process.

Highlights

Learning how to recognize the article of a noun in German can be facilitated by understanding a few rules.

There are three articles in German: der (for masculine), die (for feminine), and das (for neutral).

Articles in German reveal the gender of a noun, which is essential for language learning.

For most nouns, the gender can only be identified once the article is known, with exceptions being natural persons.

The article 'der' is used for masculine persons and professions, and for names of weekdays and months.

Seasons in German are also masculine and take the article 'der'.

Words related to weather like 'Himmel' (sky) and its directional forms are masculine.

Names of car companies in German are masculine and take the article 'der'.

Alcoholic beverages in German are masculine, with the exception of 'Wein' (wine).

Masculine nouns often end with '-er', '-en', '-ig', or '-lich', helping to identify their article.

The article 'die' is used for feminine persons and professions, and for women-owned businesses.

Many feminine nouns in German end with '-e', '-ei', '-heit', '-keit', '-tät', or '-ung'.

The article 'das' is used for nouns derived from verbs or adjectives, such as 'Essen' (to eat) or 'Tourist'.

Neutral nouns often end with '-chen', '-lein', '-mensch', or have other specific endings.

There are exceptions to the rules, such as certain masculine words that do not follow the typical patterns.

Shortened forms of words ending with an '-i' are often masculine, despite not following the usual rules.

Diminutive forms of nouns, indicated by the ending '-chen', are neutral, even if the base word is not.

The video provides practical tips to make learning German articles easier and more accessible.

Engaging with the video content can help viewers better understand and apply German grammar rules.

Transcripts

play00:01

hello everyone and welcome to our video

play00:04

series on learn German grammar in

play00:07

today's lesson we'll be learning a few

play00:09

tips on how to recognize the article of

play00:12

a noun so we'll be learning a few rules

play00:15

for the same regen to article their

play00:27

article the article does jános as you

play00:39

might already know there are three

play00:41

articles in German there for masculine D

play00:45

for feminine and thus for nitrile few

play00:52

other things you should remember are the

play00:55

articles they are DN does reveal the

play00:59

gender of a noun that is from the

play01:01

article you know whether noun is

play01:04

masculine feminine or neutral in most

play01:10

cases you can't identify the gender of a

play01:13

noun

play01:13

till you know it's article exceptions

play01:19

are persons as the natural gender is the

play01:22

same as the grammatical gender whereas

play01:26

in the case of things we don't know

play01:29

what's their article for example their

play01:32

little D Garba thus Meza why do these

play01:42

objects have these articles there is no

play01:44

reason behind it you're just supposed to

play01:47

learn them but there are a few rules

play01:50

which can help you in identifying the

play01:53

article of a noun let's go through them

play01:57

so we begin with the article there

play02:03

the article there is used for masculine

play02:07

persons for example their father or

play02:11

their money and for masculine

play02:15

professions for example they are asked

play02:21

another easy rule to remember is the

play02:24

names of all weekdays for example their

play02:29

Montag their Dienstag or the names of

play02:34

months they are Yun Hwa

play02:36

they are februa or even seasons their

play02:41

summer they are winter

play02:43

all of them are masculine and hence take

play02:47

the article there let's come to the next

play02:51

rule himmel's rest alone

play02:54

they are Norden they are Austin their

play02:59

suden their Weston

play03:02

all of them are also masculine and hence

play03:05

the article there and most of the words

play03:11

related to Vetter are also masculine for

play03:15

example they are Reagan they are Schnee

play03:20

their Blitz

play03:23

Auto marking the name of car companies

play03:27

are also masculine they are BMV they are

play03:33

Skoda they're Honda etc

play03:38

[Music]

play03:40

alcohol the names in German are also

play03:44

masculine they are vine their exact but

play03:50

an exception is thus via Enderlin few

play03:59

masculine there are some words with some

play04:03

specific endings that can also help you

play04:06

in recognizing the article of the world

play04:09

let's go through these endings for

play04:12

masculine nouns with the ending

play04:16

er for example their coffer

play04:21

there pila nouns with the ending en are

play04:28

also masculine for example their rosin

play04:33

or they're often nouns ending in IG for

play04:42

example there sa there Hornish and so on

play04:50

another ending is linked L I and G they

play04:56

are swilling they are thrilling other

play05:01

endings for masculine are are for

play05:05

example their organ is at hua East for

play05:10

example there tourists and isthmus for

play05:15

example their tourist mousse

play05:18

[Music]

play05:20

now let's move on to the article D just

play05:26

like the masculine article even female

play05:30

persons and female professions are

play05:32

always feminine

play05:34

for example the motor the plow the

play05:40

layering and you remember that mostly

play05:44

all professions for females end with I n

play05:50

the next category is women-owned bloomin

play05:57

for example the rosa the twill / d lilia

play06:07

n Dungan pure feminine

play06:12

now let's go through some noun endings

play06:15

which help us in identifying that the

play06:17

noun is feminine words with ending e a

play06:24

lot of words ending with e have the

play06:28

feminine article for example D lambda D

play06:33

era

play06:34

similarly words ending with e I like D

play06:40

Becker I be Schneider I etc are feminine

play06:45

words ending with height and kite the

play06:50

shown height the crank height this usage

play06:55

kite the vert leash kite and so on words

play07:02

ending with shaft and um are also

play07:06

feminine for example the front shaft the

play07:11

Gazelle shaft the citing the ending

play07:18

examples for other feminine endings are

play07:21

the nuts on alloted the clinic D Lexie

play07:28

on D democratic

play07:32

the freezer the conference etc now let's

play07:41

move on to the article toss toss is used

play07:47

as an article for no man else verbal

play07:52

order addict even whenever you formulate

play07:56

nouns from verbs or adjectives they use

play08:01

the article tasks for example toss Essen

play08:06

thus far on does Tourister etc thus

play08:14

Essen comes from the verb Essen thus far

play08:19

comes from the verb foreign and thus

play08:23

twister comes from the adjective Toya

play08:29

[Music]

play08:31

end-organ pure neutral now let's go

play08:37

through some endings which help in

play08:40

recognizing that the article of the noun

play08:42

is thus the words ending in Shen and

play08:50

line for example thus machen thus kin

play08:57

line words with ending meant for example

play09:03

thus monument thus zorty meant another

play09:11

ending for Nitra is nice the toss egg

play09:16

eveness other endings for night room our

play09:22

tomb and Oh

play09:24

for example thus eigen tomb

play09:29

thus Prague tomb thus centrum thus

play09:37

Museum and so on so all these rules and

play09:43

conditions help you and recognizing the

play09:46

article of the words but there are

play09:50

always some else Norman that means there

play09:54

are some exceptions some words which

play09:57

don't follow the rules we have just done

play10:00

let's look at the first one

play10:03

[Music]

play10:06

words such as their gust are masculine

play10:12

so you really can't differentiate

play10:14

between masculine or feminine some words

play10:21

which are shortened and end with an i'

play10:25

are also masculine like there ought to

play10:28

be the third category is for persons

play10:35

where they are made smaller for example

play10:38

the middle the smaller version is thus

play10:43

bitching bitching is basically a smaller

play10:48

form of middle and the ending is chen

play10:53

that's why the snitching

play10:56

similarly the skinned and thus baby so

play11:03

hope now learning articles is easier for

play11:05

you

play11:09

tanka thanks for watching this video if

play11:12

you like this video do give me a thumbs

play11:15

up and share it with your friends don't

play11:17

forget to subscribe to my channel for

play11:19

more videos if you have any questions or

play11:22

comments do write them in the comment

play11:24

section below choose our free resume

play11:28

[Music]

Rate This

5.0 / 5 (0 votes)

Related Tags
German GrammarLanguage LearningArticlesNounsEducationGrammar TipsGerman LanguageMasculine FeminineNeuterLanguage Tips