Article words: der, ein, kein, mein
Gender & articlesfreeBefore a noun there is almost always one of three article systems. You need to recognize all three, because later they also control the adjective endings.
1. Definite article: der/die/das = “the”
Used for known, specific things — like English *the*: “Der Hund meines Nachbarn bellt.” (one specific dog).
2. Indefinite article: ein/eine = “a”
For new, unspecific things — like English *a/an*: “Da bellt ein Hund.” (some dog). In the plural there is no indefinite article — same as English: “Da bellen Hunde.” (Dogs are barking.)
3. kein and the possessives
kein is the negation article: “Ich habe kein Auto” = I have no car. Nouns are negated with *kein*, not with *nicht*. The possessive articles show ownership: mein (my), dein (your, informal sg.), sein (his/its), ihr (her/their), unser (our), euer (your, informal pl.), Ihr (your, formal). Key fact: kein and all possessives take exactly the same endings as ein — that's why they're called “ein-words”.
| masculine | feminine | neuter | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| definite | der Mann | die Frau | das Kind | die Kinder |
| indefinite | ein Mann | eine Frau | ein Kind | — Kinder |
| negated | kein Mann | keine Frau | kein Kind | keine Kinder |
| possessive | mein Mann | meine Frau | mein Kind | meine Kinder |
See the pattern: masculine and neuter have ein/kein/mein with no ending, feminine and plural take -e. (That's the nominative — the other cases come in the next unit.)
The stems “ein__”, “kein__”, “mein__”, “sein__” are among the most common gaps of all. Two questions solve them: what gender is the following noun? And (next unit) which case applies?
“Ich habe heute ___ Zeit.” (I have no time today; Zeit is feminine)
“___ Schwester wohnt in Berlin.” (his sister)
Which words take the same endings as “ein”?
“Hier ist ___ Tisch frei.” (A table is free here; der Tisch)
“Das ist ___ Lampe.” (That is a lamp; die Lampe)
“Wir haben ___ Auto.” (We have no car; das Auto)
“___ Mutter heißt Anna.” (My mother is called Anna.)
“Ist das ___ Handy?” (Is that your phone? das Handy)
“___ Kinder spielen im Park.” (The children are playing in the park; plural)
“Ich habe ___ Idee!” (I have an idea! — mentioned for the first time)