Basic German Grammar Topics
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German-Gender of Nouns4 Topics
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German-Nominative4 Topics
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German-Numbers4 Topics
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German-Adjectives4 Topics
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German-Personal Pronouns & the Verb sein4 Topics
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German-Regular Verbs in the Present Tense4 Topics
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German-Plural Formation4 Topics
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German-Haben and the Accusative Case4 Topics
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German-Word Order4 Topics
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German-Definite Articles4 Topics
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German-Indefinite Articles4 Topics
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German-Negation5 Topics
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German-Modal Verbs4 Topics
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German-Separable Prefix Verbs4 Topics
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German-Coordinating Conjunctions4 Topics
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German-Konjunktiv I4 Topics
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German-Possessive Pronouns4 Topics
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German Question Words4 Topics
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German-Present Perfect of Regular Verbs4 Topics
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German-Present Perfect of Irregular Verbs4 Topics
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German-Present Perfect of Mixed Verbs4 Topics
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German-Dative Case5 Topics
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German-Two Way Prepositions4 Topics
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German-Dative Prepositions4 Topics
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German-Conditionals4 Topics
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German-Future Tense4 Topics
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German-Dative Verbs4 Topics
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German-Simple Past Tense4 Topics
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German-Imperative4 Topics
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German-Comparative4 Topics
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German-Temporal Prepositions4 Topics
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German-Present Perfect Separable Prefix Verbs4 Topics
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German-Irregular Verbs4 Topics
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German-Present Perfect Inseparable Prefix Verbs4 Topics
Participants 257
In English and in German we have the “indefinite article”, or “der unbestimmte Artikel”.
In English, the indefinite article is either “a” or “an”, depending on the spelling of the noun. In German, the indefinite article changes based on the three genders. In the nominative case they are: ein (masculine), eine (feminine), and ein (neuter). The indefinite article is used when talking about a non-specific noun and definitions, when talking about something we lack information about, or when referring to something for the first time.
There are several other words that follow the same declension as the indefinite article ‘ein’ : The negative article “kein”, and the possessive adjectives “mein, dein, sein, etc”.
The endings of these ‘ein-Wörter’ are listed below along with the indefinite articles :
1. The Indefinite Article in different cases:
Below is a chart for how the indefinite article changes based on gender and case. Notice that we do not use the indefinite article to refer to plural nouns.
Examples:
Das ist ein Hund. This is a dog. (singular, masculine, nominative)
Ich habe einen Hund. I have a dog. (singular, masculine, accusative)
2. The negative article
The endings of other ‘ein-Wörter’, such as the negative article “kein” are all identical to the indefinite article and its endings. Unlike the indefinite article, we can use the negative article to refer to plural nouns.
Examples:
Das sind keine Rosen. These are no Roses. (plural, feminine, nominative)
Ich habe keine Haustiere. I have no pets. (plural, feminine, accusative)