2— Understanding Articles in Different Cases and Number — Lesson
In German grammar, articles change according to the case, number, and gender of the noun they accompany.
There are four cases in German: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive. Each case serves a specific grammatical function in a sentence, such as indicating the subject, direct object, indirect object, or possession.
This lesson focuses on presenting the articles, and how they change. In the next lesson we will see how to distinguish between them.
Definite Article
The definite article refers to a particular or specific noun.
In English, the definite article is “the”.
It specifies that the noun it accompanies refers to a particular instance of that noun.
Examples: “the car,” “the book,” “the cat”.
Indefinite Article
The indefinite article refers to a non-specific or generic noun.
In English, the indefinite articles are “a” and “an”.
It indicates that the noun it accompanies does not refer to any particular instance but to any member of a class or category.
Examples: “a car,” “an apple,” “a book.”
Positive
“Ein” is an indefinite article in German that corresponds to “a” or “an” in English.
It is used when referring to a single unspecified item or person.
Examples
- Ich habe einen Hund. (I have a dog.)
- Sie hat eine Katze. (She has a cat.)
- Wir brauchen ein Auto. (We need a car.)
Negative
“Kein” is a negative determiner in German, often translated as “no” or “not any” in English.
It is used to negate the existence of something or to indicate the absence of a particular item or person.
Examples
- Ich habe keinen Hund. (I have no dog. / I don’t have a dog.)
- Sie hat keine Katze. (She has no cat. / She doesn’t have a cat.)
- Wir brauchen kein Auto. (We need no car. / We don’t need a car.)
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