Replacing nouns with "one" or "none"
When you want to avoid repeating a noun, you can replace it with an indefinite pronoun ("one") or a negative pronoun ("none"). In German, these pronouns take endings that match the gender and case of the noun they are replacing.
Masculine nouns
For masculine nouns, the pronoun ends in -er for the nominative case (when it is the subject) and -en for the accusative case (when it is the direct object).
| Your sleeping bag is broken, but another one is lying here. | Dein Schlafsack ist kaputt, aber hier liegt noch einer. |
| Where is your sleeping bag? Do you have none? | Wo ist dein Schlafsack? Hast du keinen? |
Neuter nouns
For neuter nouns, the pronoun ends in -s in both the nominative and accusative cases (eins, keins). Notice that this is different from the regular indefinite article, which has no ending (ein Buch vs. Ich habe eins).
| I need a lighter. Do you have one? | Ich brauche ein Feuerzeug. Hast du eins? |
| Are you looking for a lighter? Unfortunately, I have none. | Suchst du ein Feuerzeug? Ich habe leider keins. |
Feminine nouns
For feminine nouns, the pronoun ends in -e in both the nominative and accusative cases (eine, keine). These forms look exactly like the standard indefinite articles you already know.
| Who has a flashlight? I need one now! | Wer hat eine Taschenlampe? Ich brauche jetzt eine! |
| Anna is looking for a flashlight because she has none. | Anna sucht eine Taschenlampe, weil sie keine hat. |
Summary table
Here is a quick overview of the indefinite and negative pronouns for the nominative and accusative cases:
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | einer / keiner | eine / keine | eins / keins |
| Accusative | einen / keinen | eine / keine | eins / keins |
