If you memorize one table in all of German, make it this one. The sixteen forms of the definite article — four cases times four gender/number columns — are the backbone of the entire declension system. They are not just the forms of "the." They are the master template that dieser (this), jeder (every), welcher (which), mancher (some), and solcher (such) all copy exactly, and they are nearly identical to the strong adjective endings. Learn these sixteen forms cold and a huge amount of German grammar suddenly clicks into place. Spend the effort here; the payoff is enormous.
The complete table
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die | das | die |
| Accusative | den | die | das | die |
| Dative | dem | der | dem | den |
| Genitive | des | der | des | der |
At first this looks like sixteen things to memorize. It is really only a handful, because the table is full of repetition. Let me show you the diagnostic cells — the spots that actually do the work and the spots you can almost ignore.
How to read the table: the diagnostic cells
1. The feminine and plural columns barely change
The feminine column reads die, die, der, der — only two distinct forms. The plural reads die, die, den, der — and three of those overlap with the feminine. The action is almost entirely in the masculine and neuter columns. If you find the table intimidating, start by accepting that feminine nominative/accusative is always die and feminine dative/genitive is always der, full stop.
2. Masculine accusative is the only place masculine differs from the nominative
This is the single most important cell for beginners. In the masculine column, nominative is der and accusative is den — and that is the only row where masculine changes from the nominative form when going to the accusative. Feminine, neuter, and plural all keep the same form in nominative and accusative (die / das / die). So the accusative case, which terrifies learners, actually only requires you to change one article: masculine der → den.
Der Lehrer korrigiert den Test.
The teacher corrects the test.
Here der Lehrer (masculine, subject) stays der, while den Test (masculine, object) becomes den. Watch what happens with the other genders — nothing:
Die Lehrerin liest das Buch und die Zeitung.
The (female) teacher reads the book and the newspaper.
das Buch (neuter object) and die Zeitung (feminine object) keep their nominative shape. Only masculine bothers to mark the accusative.
3. The dative plural is den (and the noun adds -n)
The bottom-left region is where two special things happen. First, the dative plural article is den — confusingly the same word as the masculine accusative, but a completely different cell. Second, the noun itself adds an -n in the dative plural (if it doesn't already end in -n or -s):
Ich gebe den Kindern die Geschenke.
I'm giving the children the presents.
Kind → plural Kinder → dative plural Kindern. The article is den and the noun gains -n. This noun ending is a real grammatical marker, not a typo, and it is one of the few places German still changes the noun for case.
4. Genitive masculine/neuter is des (and the noun adds -(e)s)
In the genitive — the "of/possession" case — masculine and neuter share the article des, and the noun adds -s or -es (one-syllable nouns usually take -es; this is the same ending that marks possession, but German uses no apostrophe):
Das ist das Auto des Mannes.
That's the man's car. / That's the car of the man.
Die Farbe des Kindes gefällt mir.
I like the child's color (choice).
Note des Mannes and des Kindes: article des plus noun ending -es. No apostrophe — des Mannes, never des Mann's.
One noun, all four cases
Let's run a single masculine noun, der Mann, through every case so you can see the article and the noun change together. This is the pattern to internalize.
| Case | Form | Role | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der Mann | subject | Der Mann schläft. |
| Accusative | den Mann | direct object | Ich sehe den Mann. |
| Dative | dem Mann | indirect object | Ich helfe dem Mann. |
| Genitive | des Mannes | possessor | das Auto des Mannes |
Der Mann schläft, also wecke ich den Mann nicht.
The man is sleeping, so I won't wake the man.
Ich helfe dem Mann mit den schweren Taschen.
I'm helping the man with the heavy bags.
Why this table unlocks so much else
The reason this paradigm is worth so much investment: a large family of other words — the der-words — take identical endings. If you can decline der, you can decline all of these for free, just by attaching the article's ending to the stem:
| der-word | Meaning | Masc. acc. | Dat. plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| dieser | this | diesen | diesen |
| jeder | each, every | jeden | (jeden — pl. alle) |
| welcher | which | welchen | welchen |
| mancher | some, many a | manchen | manchen |
Welchen Wein möchtest du — diesen oder jenen?
Which wine would you like — this one or that one?
The ending on welchen and diesen is exactly the -en you see on the masculine accusative article den. On top of that, the strong adjective endings (used when no der-word is present) mirror this same table almost cell for cell — so this paradigm is also your gateway to strong adjective declension. One table, three payoffs.
Common mistakes
❌ Ich sehe der Mann.
Incorrect — a direct object is accusative, so masculine 'der' must become 'den'. This is the single most frequent beginner error.
✅ Ich sehe den Mann.
I see the man.
❌ Ich gebe die Kinder die Geschenke.
Incorrect — the recipients are dative plural: article 'den' and the noun adds -n (Kindern).
✅ Ich gebe den Kindern die Geschenke.
I'm giving the children the presents.
❌ das Auto des Mann's
Incorrect — German genitive adds -(e)s with no apostrophe: des Mannes.
✅ das Auto des Mannes
the man's car
❌ Ich helfe die Frau.
Incorrect — 'helfen' takes the dative, so feminine 'die' becomes 'der'.
✅ Ich helfe der Frau.
I'm helping the woman.
❌ Das ist die Buch von dem Lehrer.
Incorrect — 'Buch' is neuter (das), not feminine (die).
✅ Das ist das Buch von dem Lehrer.
That's the teacher's book.
Key takeaways
- The 4×4 table is der/die/das → den/die/das → dem/der/dem/den → des/der/des/der. Memorize it cold.
- Masculine accusative der → den is the only place masculine changes for the accusative — and the most common beginner error.
- Dative plural is den and the noun adds -n (den Kindern).
- Genitive masculine/neuter is des and the noun adds -(e)s with no apostrophe (des Mannes, des Kindes).
- This single table is the template for dieser, jeder, welcher, mancher and the basis for the strong adjective endings. Effort here pays off everywhere. Next, compare it with the ein-word (indefinite) declension.
Now practice German
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Start learning German→Related Topics
- The Definite Article: der, die, dasA1 — Germany's three words for 'the' and why der/die/das carries gender and case information English doesn't track.
- Indefinite Article Declension (ein-words)A2 — The full declension of ein, kein, and the possessives — identical to der-words except for two endingless gaps.
- Preposition + Article ContractionsA2 — How German fuses prepositions with definite articles into single words like im, ins, zum, and zur — when the contraction is obligatory and when keeping them apart signals a demonstrative.
- How Nouns Themselves Change for CaseB1 — German marks most case information on the article — but the noun itself changes too, in exactly three predictable spots: the genitive -(e)s, the dative plural -n, and the n-declension.
- Strong Adjective Declension (no article)B1 — The strong endings used when no article precedes: the adjective itself carries the full case marking, mirroring the der-word endings.