I've started to learn German with an app called duolingo , the thing is they don't explain the reasons some words are used sometimes and sometimes not for exemple I don't really understand the difference between das die and der . Could I get any help please? Also keep up your blog it's amazing
Yes… The der/die/das is one of the most difficult parts for people studying our language. Der is used for masculine nouns, die for feminine, das for neutral. Native speakers know intuitively which one to use — as a student of German, it will be best to memorize the correct article right along with the noun from the very beginning as there are no proper/logical rules for all the words, and I mean that literally. In vocabulary lists to study from, add the articles in front of the nouns and simply memorize the 2 together. At some point, it will stick and you will get a feel for these combinations. There ARE a few guidelines, for example:
The following nouns have the article DER:
Nouns for masculine persons/functions/professions: Vater, Pilot, Arzt;Names of seasons: Frühling, Sommer, Herbst, Winter;Names of months: Januar, Juli, Dezember;Names of days of the week: Montag, Dienstag, Sonntag;Names of compass directions: Nordwesten, Süden;Names of precipitations: Regen, Schnee, Hagel;Names of car brands: Audi, BMW, Mercedes;Names of trains: IC; ICENouns derived from verbs without suffix: Gang, Fang;The following categories of nouns have mainly the article der:Names of alcoholic beverages: Cognac, Wein, Whiskey; but: das Bier;Names of rivers outside Europe: Amazonas, Nil, Ganges;Names of mountains: Mont Blanc, Kilimanjaro; but: die Zugspitze;Furthermore, nouns with the suffixes below have the article der:–er (nouns derived from verbs): Fahrer, Lehrer;–ismus: Kapitalismus, Journalismus;Most of nouns with the following suffixes have the article der:–ant: Demonstrant, Elefant; but: das Croissant, das Restaurant;–ling: Lehrling, Schützling; but: das Dribbling, das Bowling;–ner: Rentner, Schaffner, Zöllner; but: das Banner, die Wiener Wurst; –or: Motor, Traktor; but: das Gegentor, das Chlor;Beware: this is applicable only to nouns in singular. All nouns in plural have the article die. Also: diminutives have always the article das: der Kopf → das Köpfchen.
The following nouns have the article DIE:
Nouns for feminine persons/functions/professions: Mutter, Friseuse, Ärztin;Names of motorcycle brands: Harley Davidson, Yamaha;Names of planes and ships: Boeing 747, Titanic;Cardinal numbers: Eins, Drei;The following categories of nouns have mainly the article die:Names of plants and trees: Birke, Chrysantheme, Rose; exceptions: der Ahorn, das Veilchen;Furthermore, nouns with the suffixes below have the article die:-falt: Vielfalt;–heit: Freiheit, Sicherheit;–keit: Möglichkeit, Schnelligkeit;–schaft: Freundschaft, Mannschaft;–t (nouns derived from verbs): Fahrt, Tat;–ung: Leitung, Zeitung;Foreign nouns with the suffixes below have the article die:–ade: Hitparade, Marmelade;–age: Garage, Passage;–anz: Eleganz, Dominanz;–enz: Existenz, Tendenz;–ik: Kritik, Musik;–ion: Diskussion, Koalition;–tät: Identität, Qualität;–ur: Agentur, Reparatur;Most of nouns with the following suffixes have the article die:-e: Grenze, Lampe; but: der Junge, der Friede;–ei: Abtei, Metzgerei; but: das Ei, der Papagei;–ie: Diplomatie, Psychologie; but: der Junkie, der Hippie;–in: Ärztin, Studentin; but: das Benzin, der Harlekin;Beware: diminutives have always the article das: die Hand → das Händchen.
The following nouns have the article DAS:
Diminutives (–chen, –lein): Kaninchen, Fräulein;Nouns derived from infinitives: Essen, Schreiben;Nouns derived from adjectives: Gute, Böse;Names of colors: Rot, Gelb, Blau;The following categories of nouns have mainly the article das:
Almost all of the 112 known chemical elements: Aluminium, Kupfer, Uran; 6 exceptions: der Kohlenstoff, der Sauerstoff, der Stickstoff, der Wasserstoff, der Phosphor, der Schwefel;Names of metals: Blei, Messing, Zinn; but: die Bronze, der Stahl;Fractions: Drittel (⅓), Viertel (¼); but: die Hälfte (½);Furthermore, nouns with the suffixes below have the article das:–ial: Material, Potenzial;Most of nouns with the following suffixes have the article das:–ment: Instrument, Parlament; but: der Konsument, der Zement;–nis: Ergebnis, Tennis; but: die Fahrerlaubnis, die Wildnis;–o: Auto, Konto; but: die Avocado, der Euro;–tum: Quantum, Ultimatum; but: der Reichtum, der Irrtum;–um (nouns of Latin origin): Publikum, Museum, Stadium;Beware: this is applicable only to nouns in singular. All nouns in plural have the article die.
Words with more Articles: There are also many nouns with more articles. In some cases, the article determines the meaning of the word:
der Band (hardcover book), die Band (music group), das Band (tape);der Lama (buddhist priest), das Lama (animal);der Kiwi (bird), die Kiwi (fruit);Sometimes, two or three articles are possible and can depend on local dialect use or there being no national agreement yet which article to use with Fremdwörtern (words coming from other languages like English, which doesn’t have gendered articles).
Good luck with your language studies and thanks. :)