German · Sounds and articles
German articles and sounds
A definite-article table for nominative, accusative, dative and genitive, with sound patterns and full-word examples.
The definite articles through four cases
Choose the case from the sentence, then the gender or plural of the noun after the article.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der Mann | die Frau | das Kind | die Kinder |
| Akkusativ | den Mann | die Frau | das Kind | die Kinder |
| Dativ | dem Mann | der Frau | dem Kind | den Kindern |
| Genitiv | des Mannes | der Frau | des Kindes | der Kinder |
Dative plural often adds -n to the noun, except where it already ends in -n or -s. Genitive masculine/neuter singular usually adds -(e)s. Exercises supply those endings: type the article only.
Find the case from the context
Gender alone does not determine the article.
| Context | Case | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Nominative | Der Hund schläft. |
| Object of sehen/suchen/kaufen | Accusative | Ich sehe den Hund. |
| für, durch, ohne | Accusative | für das Kind |
| Recipient; helfen/danken | Dative | Ich helfe der Frau. |
| mit, aus | Dative | mit dem Bus |
| Location with in/auf | Dative | auf dem Tisch |
| Destination with in/auf | Accusative | auf den Tisch |
| Belonging / whose? | Genitive | das Buch des Kindes |
Do not equate all movement with accusative: Die Kinder spielen im Park describes a location. Im is in dem; the exercises keep the article separate where it is the missing answer.
Sound–spelling reminders
Common patterns in the words taught here, not rules for every loanword.
| Spelling | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ie | usually long /iː/ | Liebe, sieben |
| ei | /aɪ̯/ | Wein, mein |
| eu / äu | /ɔʏ̯/ | neu, Häuser |
| ü / ö | front rounded vowels | Tür, fünf; schön, können |
| ch | /ç/ or /x/ according to context | ich, Milch; Bach, Buch |
| sch; initial sp/st | /ʃ/; /ʃp/, /ʃt/ | Schule; Sport, Straße |
| w; z; ß | /v/; /ts/; /s/ | Wasser; Zeit; Fuß |
| v | learn with the word: /f/ or /v/ | Vater; Vase |
| Final b/d/g | often unvoiced /p t k/ | Rad ends in /t/ |
Ie represents one long vowel in the core examples; it is not two separately spoken vowels. Dialects and regional standard pronunciation can differ. Device playback is available when a German voice is installed.
Teaching references: Goethe-Institut: cases and articles · Goethe-Institut: pronunciation practice
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