Articles always precede a noun. We distinguish between the definite article der, die, das, the indefinite article ein, eine, ein and the zero article when the noun is not preceded by an article.
| Examples | |
| Das Brot ist nicht mehr frisch. | definite article |
| Ich möchte ein Eis essen. | indefinite article |
| Ich brauche Eier für den Kuchen. | zero article |
Some pronouns, like, for example, the possessive pronouns, can be used as articles and precede a noun.
| Examples | |
| Dieses Auto ist meins. |
used as a pronoun |
| Dieses Auto ist mein Auto. |
used as an article |
Articles are inflected. They agree in gender, number and case with the noun they accompany.
| Examples | |
| Er hat den Schülern alles erklärt. |
gender: masculine |
|
number: plural |
|
|
case: dative |
As far as the use of articles is concerned, as a general rule, the definite article accompanies a noun that is, as indicated by the context, known and the indefinite article accompanies a noun that is, as indicated by the context, unknown. The zero article is used in various and diverse ways.