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Articles and other words before the noun: welcher, was für ein, alle
A2
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Questions with welcher and was für ein (Welchen Bus nehmen wir?), dieser in the accusative and dative (mit diesem Zug), der, die, das used alone (Den nehme ich), jemand and niemand with their endings, alle and viele, and nouns that add -n (den Jungen, Herrn Weber).
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1. Asking which: welcher, welche, welches
welcher (“which?”) is used to choose one person or thing out of a known group.
- Welcher Tag ist heute?What day is it today?
- Welches Kleid kaufst du?Which dress are you buying?
- Welchen Saft trinkst du?Which juice are you drinking?
Formation
- The endings are those of the definite article: der → welcher, die → welche, das → welches.
- In the plural, welche is used for every gender.
- As the object of the verb, only the masculine changes: welchen, like den.
- The feminine, neuter and plural forms do not change as the object: welche, welches, welche.
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | welcher | welche | welches | welche |
| Accusative | welchen | welche | welches | welche |
Difference from English
- English which has one form, but welcher changes with the case of the noun: Welchen Film siehst du? (“Which film are you watching?”)
Show the answer ___ Bus fährt zum Zoo? — Die Nummer zwölf. WelcherShow the answer
Show the answer ___ Jacke gehört dir, Anna? — Die Jacke dort. WelcheShow the answer
2. This in every case: diesen, diesem
dieser (“this”, and “these” in the plural) takes the endings of the definite article in every case.
- Ich kenne diesen Lehrer.I know this teacher.
- Sie arbeitet bei dieser Firma.She works at this company.
- Wir helfen diesen Kindern.We are helping these children.
Formation
- As the object of the verb, only the masculine changes: diesen, while diese and dieses stay the same.
- In the dative, diesem is used for the masculine and the neuter, and dieser for the feminine.
- In the dative plural, the form is diesen, and -n is added to the noun.
- The dative is used after mit, bei, von, seit, in with wo?, and with helfen and gefallen.
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accusative | diesen | diese | dieses | diese |
| Dative | diesem | dieser | diesem | diesen |
Difference from English
- English this changes only in the plural (these), but dieser also changes with the case. The case depends on the verb or the preposition: Ich fahre mit diesem Bus. (“I am taking this bus.”)
Show the answer Kennst du ___ Mann dort? Er wohnt neben uns. diesenalso: denShow the answer
Show the answer Mit ___ Bus fahren wir jeden Tag zur Arbeit. diesemalso: demShow the answer
3. That one: Den nehme ich
In speech, der, die and das are often used alone, as pronouns, for a person or a thing already mentioned.
- Kennst du Herrn Schmidt? — Ja, den kenne ich.Do you know Mr Schmidt? — Yes, I know him.
- Die Tasse? Die ist von Anna.The cup? It's Anna's.
Formation
- These pronouns have the forms of the definite article, except in the dative plural: denen.
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die | das | die |
| Accusative | den | die | das | die |
| Dative | dem | der | dem | denen |
Use
- These pronouns are stressed, and they usually come at the start of the sentence.
- The personal pronouns er, ihn and sie are often possible as well.
- The object pronoun es is not placed first in the sentence, so a neuter object at the start is das.
Difference from English
- English has it, him or that one. The German pronoun agrees with the noun in gender and case: Der Tisch? Der ist neu. (“The table? It's new.”)
Show the answer Wie findest du den Rock? — ___ finde ich schön. Denalso: IhnShow the answer
Show the answer Kennst du Lena? — Ja, ___ kenne ich gut. diealso: sieShow the answer
4. Asking what kind: was für ein
was für ein (“what kind of?”) is used to ask about the kind of a person or thing.
- Was für ein Auto ist das?What kind of car is that?
- Was für eine Uhr möchtest du?What kind of watch would you like?
Formation
- Here für has no effect on the case: ein takes the case of the noun.
- Before a plural or an uncountable noun, was für is used alone: Was für Musik hörst du? (“What kind of music do you listen to?”)
- In speech, was often comes first, and für with the noun later: Was hast du für einen Hund? (“What kind of dog have you got?”)
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ein | eine | ein |
| Accusative | einen | eine | ein |
| Dative | einem | einer | einem |
Use
- To ask for one out of a known group, welcher is used instead: Welchen Bus nehmen wir? (“Which bus are we taking?”)
Common mistakes
Was für Auto hast du?→ Was für ein Auto hast du?English what kind of has no article, but was für is followed by ein before a singular countable noun.Was für einen Mann ist das?→ Was für ein Mann ist das?für has no effect on the case here: Mann is the subject, so the nominative ein is used.
Show the answer Was für ___ Wohnung sucht ihr? — Eine Wohnung mit Garten. eineShow the answer
Show the answer Was für ___ Film ist das? — Ein Film für Kinder. einShow the answer
5. jemand, niemand
jemand (“someone”, “anyone”) and niemand (“nobody”, “not … anybody”) take -en as the object and -em in the dative.
- Hat jemand meinen Schlüssel gesehen?Has anyone seen my key?
- Ich suche jemanden.I'm looking for someone.
- Sie spricht mit niemandem.She doesn't talk to anybody.
Formation
- As the subject, jemand and niemand have no ending.
- The ending -en is used for the object, and -em in the dative, after mit, helfen or gefallen.
- The endings are sometimes left out in everyday speech, but not usually in writing.
| Nominative | Accusative | Dative |
|---|---|---|
jemand | jemanden | jemandem |
niemand | niemanden | niemandem |
Difference from English
- English someone has the same form after every verb, but helfen takes the dative: Ich helfe jemandem. (“I'm helping someone.”)
Common mistake
Ich kenne nicht jemanden.→ Ich kenne niemanden.English not … anybody is one word in German: niemand is already negative, and the sentence takes no nicht.
Show the answer Das Telefon ist für dich. ___ möchte mit dir sprechen. JemandShow the answer
Show the answer Kennst du ___ in Hamburg? Ich brauche ein Zimmer. jemandenalso: jemandShow the answer
6. alle, viele
alle (“all”) and viele (“many”, “a lot of”) come before a noun in the plural, with no article.
- Alle Geschäfte sind zu.All the shops are closed.
- Viele Leute fahren mit dem Fahrrad.Many people go by bike.
Formation
- Before a possessive, alle comes first: alle meine Freunde.
- In the dative, -n is added to alle and viele, and to the noun: allen Kindern, vielen Leuten.
- Before a noun in the singular, “a lot of” is viel, with no ending: viel Geld, but viele Freunde.
Difference from English
- English often has all the, but no article comes after alle: alle Kinder (“all the children”).
- Used alone, alle means “everybody” and takes a plural verb, where English everybody takes the singular: Alle haben heute frei. (“Everybody has the day off today.”)
Show the answer Es fehlt niemand. ___ meine Freunde sind da. AlleShow the answer
Show the answer Wir haben ___ Freunde in Berlin, mehr als zwanzig. vieleShow the answer
7. Nouns that add -n: den Jungen, Herrn
Some masculine nouns, mostly for people and animals, take -n or -en in every case except the nominative singular.
- Ich rufe Herrn Wolf an.I'm calling Mr Wolf.
- Ich frage den Kollegen.I'll ask the colleague.
Formation
- The plural has the same ending.
- The group includes nouns in -e: der Junge, der Kollege, der Kunde.
- It also includes some nouns stressed on the last syllable: der Student, der Tourist, der Polizist.
- der Nachbar, der Mensch and der Herr belong to the group too.
- Herr takes only -n in the singular, also before a name.
| Nominative | Accusative | Dative |
|---|---|---|
der Junge | den Jungen | dem Jungen |
der Kollege | den Kollegen | dem Kollegen |
der Student | den Studenten | dem Studenten |
der Herr | den Herrn | dem Herrn |
The other nouns of the group are declined in the same way: den Polizisten, den Touristen, dem Nachbarn, dem Kunden.
Common mistake
Wir kennen den Student.→ Wir kennen den Studenten.English nouns have no case ending, but a noun of this group takes -en as the object.
Show the answer Kennst du den ___ (Junge) dort? JungenShow the answer
Show the answer Am Montag spreche ich mit meinem ___ (Kollege). KollegenShow the answer
8. Words before the noun: mixed practice
welcher, was für ein, dieser, the pronoun der, jemand, niemand, alle, viele and the nouns in -n are practised together.
- Welcher Rock? Der rote.Which skirt? The red one.
- Das Hemd? Das ist zu teuer.The shirt? It's too expensive.
- Kennst du jemanden?Do you know anyone?
- Kann mir jemand helfen?Can someone help me?
- Wir fahren mit diesem Zug.We are taking this train.
- Viele Gäste kommen heute.Many guests are coming today.
Forms to know
- welcher, dieser, was für ein, jemand, niemand, alle and viele change with the case of the noun.
- The masculine object form is was für einen Pullover, and the dative after mit is mit diesem Zug.
- welcher, dieser, was für ein, der, die and das also change with the gender: was für eine Prüfung.
- The nouns in -n take their ending outside the nominative singular: Herrn Becker, den Nachbarn.
Show the answer ___ Rock gefällt dir? — Der hier. WelcherShow the answer
Show the answer Kann mir ___ in dieser Firma helfen? jemandShow the answer
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