Grammar Reference
Browse grammar documentation for your courses
How der, die, das, ein and kein work and how to tell a noun's gender — the foundation every case and adjective-ending rule builds on.
German Articles Explained: Der, Die, Das & Ein/Eine
Learn German articles — der, die, das (definite) and ein, eine, einen (indefinite) — in nominative and accusative, with examples and practice.
German Noun Gender: Der, Die, Das Rules & Suffix Patterns
German noun gender explained: der/die/das suffix rules, semantic groups, and the exceptions every learner trips over. A1 reference with practice.
The four German cases and how articles, nouns and pronouns change in each. Master these and word endings stop being a mystery.
German Dative Articles: dem, der, dem, den & einem, einer
German dative articles explained: dem/der/dem/den and einem/einer/einem, with prepositions, contractions, and the plural -n trap. A2 reference with practice.
German Genitive Case: Articles, Endings & Examples
German genitive case explained: Genitive articles, adjective endings, and noun suffixes (des/der, -en, -(e)s) — B1 reference with examples and practice.
German N-Declension: Weak Masculine Nouns (der Student)
The German n-declension explained: weak masculine nouns add -(e)n in every case except nominative singular. Full tables, Herr/Name patterns, and practice.
Weak, mixed and strong adjective declension, comparison, and participles used as adjectives — the endings that trip up every learner.
German Adjective Endings: Weak, Strong & Mixed Declension
German adjective endings explained: weak, strong, and mixed declension after der, ein, or no article. A2 reference tables, common mistakes, and practice.
German Comparative Adjective Endings: Attributive Declension
German comparative adjective endings explained: how comparative declension stacks -er + weak or mixed endings, with der ältere Mann tables and B1 practice.
German Nominalized Adjectives: Der Deutsche, ein Deutscher
German nominalized adjectives explained: der Deutsche vs ein Deutscher, weak vs mixed endings, etwas Neues, nichts Gutes — B1 reference with practice.
German Participles as Adjectives: Partizip I & II
German participles as adjectives: form Partizip I (lachende Kinder) and Partizip II (gekochtes Ei) and add adjective endings. B1 reference with practice.
German Strong Adjective Declension: Endings Table
German strong adjective declension explained: full endings table for kalter Kaffee, kalte Milch, kaltes Bier across all cases — B1 reference with practice.
Accusative, dative, two-way (Wechselpräpositionen) and genitive prepositions — which case each one triggers, with practice.
German Dative Prepositions: aus, bei, mit, nach, von, zu
Learn the German dative prepositions (aus, bei, mit, nach, von, zu, seit) — meanings, articles, contractions, and the plural -n rule, with examples.
German Accusative Prepositions: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um
German accusative prepositions explained: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, bis. Full list, article forms, examples, common mistakes, and practice — A2 reference.
German Two-Way Prepositions: wohin (akk) vs wo (dat)
German two-way prepositions take accusative for direction (wohin?) and dative for location (wo?). All nine Wechselpräpositionen with examples and practice.
German Genitive Prepositions: Trotz, Wegen, Während, Statt
German genitive prepositions explained: trotz, wegen, während, statt with the full list, articles, adjective endings, and the wegen-dative trap. B1 reference.
Personal, possessive, reflexive, relative, demonstrative and indefinite pronouns across all four cases.
German Personal Pronouns: ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr
German personal pronouns explained: ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, Sie — du vs Sie, accusative & dative forms. A1 reference with examples and practice.
German Possessive Pronouns: Mein, Dein, Sein, Ihr & Endings
German possessive pronouns explained: mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer endings by gender and case. Tables, the euer rule, common mistakes — A1 reference.
German dieser: Declension of dieser, diese, dieses
German dieser declension: full dieser/diese/dieses paradigm, common mistakes, and how jeder, welcher, jener pattern with it. A2 reference with practice.
German Possessives in the Dative: meinem, meiner, meinen
German possessives in the dative: meinem, meiner, meinem, meinen across mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer. A2 reference with examples and practice.
German Reflexive Pronouns: mich, dich, sich, uns, euch
German reflexive pronouns: mich, dich, sich, uns, euch, sich. Accusative forms, reflexive verbs like sich waschen, common mistakes. A2 reference with practice.
German Relative Pronouns: Der, Die, Das as Subject
German relative pronouns explained: der/die/das as subject, comma rules, verb-final word order, and common mistakes. A2 reference with practice.
German Indefinite Pronouns: Jemand, Man, Etwas & Jeder
German indefinite pronouns: jemand/niemand declension, man with einen/einem, jeder, and etwas/nichts + nominalized adjectives. B1 reference with practice.
German Possessives in the Genitive: meines, meiner
German possessives in the genitive: meines, meiner, meines and the -(e)s noun ending. All 8 stems × 4 forms, common mistakes, and B1 practice.
German Reflexive Pronouns: Accusative vs Dative
German reflexive pronouns accusative vs dative: when to use mich/dich/sich and when mir/dir/sich, with the second-object rule, tables, and examples.
German Relative Pronouns in Accusative and Dative
German relative pronouns in accusative and dative: den, die, dem, der, denen — forms, word order, and common mistakes. B1 reference with practice.
Negation
When to use nicht and when kein, and where negation goes in the sentence.
Sentence Structure
Main and subordinate clause word order, conjunctions, relative clauses and questions.