¶ Introduction to German Articles
Episode 3. Do Articles Change the Way We Think? Artikel und Hauptwörter
Hallo Michael, willkommen zurück. Welcome back to our program.
Gooden tag. I'm glad to be here too. I hope our listeners are ready for another fun conversation where we are learning without even noticing it.
Danke. That's a great way to start. We have already learned quite a few things, mainly verbs and how they function. Now we have a topic that may seem simple, but actually has a unique variant in German. Article.
Yah, we are unique, indeed, and we love to go against the grain.
I think I know why you say that. The use of articles in German is very different compared to other languages.
Exactly. My favorite example is the sun and moon, which are usually the same gender in all the Roman languages. the moon is female and the sun is male. But of course, the Germans chose the opposite. I think it's because they believed the sun was a female god.
That's interesting. You're right. In German we say die Sonne und der Mond. The article D is female, and dare is male. But is the sun a feminine object? It seems these articles are associated with lots of items without giving them a feminine or masculine character. For instance, the fork, D garbage. It's still a neutral thing, but has a female article. De Löffel, the spoon, is no different in that way.
And because Germans just have to be unique, they added one more gender called Sinuter. Which is neither male nor female. Das Haus. Das glas. Das Land
Great examples. These are easy for our listeners to get. And indeed, most languages have two articles, but the Germans had to have three.
¶ Learning Strategies and "Der" Hacks
I know people might feel overwhelmed by that. To everyone listening, don't give up. We have simply reached the Autobahn.
Well, not really. We will definitely not speed up. But shall we lighten things up with a little song?
🎵 Music
Der dies, wer wie was, wieso weshalb warum? Wer nicht fragt, bleibt dumm. This song brings back memories from when I was in kindergarten. There are a lot of new words here. But the song encourages you to ask questions, to be able to learn and get smarter.
Richtig! Daddy das rhymes with wer wie was. Words we use to ask questions. But we will get to those later. And the good news is that when it comes to learning these random articles, there are some hacks.
Yeah, there are.
Okay. For instance, job titles are mostly male. Der Polizist. the policeman. Their politica. The politician.
Wunderbar And if the person is female, there is a simple rule to make sure women are represented too. You change the ending by adding in. So the word Politistin lets you know it's a female common. Here are some more examples Di politicarin di pianistin di journalistin.
Richtig. Just a little side note sometimes the vowel changes. Der Arzt, the doctor, becomes die.
¶ "Das" and "Die" Article Rules
Okay. Are there any hacks for dust? Das auto. Oh wait. I think I see a pattern of things that move. Das Schiff, the ship. Das Flugzeug. The plane. Das Fahrrad. The bicycle.
I know we've talked about how much we love cars. Just remember, when you refer to the actual brand, it becomes der BMW, der Audi, der Porsche, Der Mercedes.
Very good. Anything else that helps?
Yes. Again, paying attention to the endings helps. Hian turns anything into a neuter, small version of the subject. Das Haus, das Häuschen, der Mann, das Männchen.
Ah, but here is a controversial one. Das Mädchen. When we talk about girls, we might refer to someone between zero and sixteen, right? Regardless, the word doesn't have a female article.
I know. It's really strange that it has stayed despite the feminist movement. And I wonder if one day they will change that. just like no one really says das Fräulein any more, which is now recognized as a belittling way to address a woman.
Very true. Okay, I'm curious if there are more tricks looking at endings.
For Latin words, endings in zion, which we see in the news quite a bit, you can count on them being female. Die Nation, die Konstruktion, die Kommunikation, die Mission, die Fiktion, die Aktion.
okay okay we get the idea
Also, words ending in ung, like die Zeitung, the journal, die Leistung, the achievement.
Die Morddrohung? The Death Threat
Ah, Michael, I know we are using words from the news, but please, let's try and stay positive.
I never paid attention to these patterns. I thought the way we apply articles was completely random, or even to purposely confuse people.
Do you want more? The ending height is always female, too. Die Freiheit Freedom. Die Sicherheit Safety. Die Mehrheit Majority. Die Minderheit Minority. Die Gesundheit. D.
Frechheit.
Oh yes, that one often comes in handy. It means impudence. And like you just did, it can be used as a remark during a conversation.
I bet the ending kite is also feminine. The Einikit. Die Möglichkeit The possibility.
¶ Mastering Articles: Practice and Plurals
Hopefully, this helps our listeners feel assured that they will be able to master this. But for some other words without a telltale ending, like di familia di, you will only learn the matching article if you keep practicing them. By using repetition, you can develop a feeling for it with time.
Ah come on, repetition? No one likes that. I thought the name of this show was Gut. Get up to speed. You gotta go with your gut instinct, and something is telling me now that a lot of German words are feminine. Am I right?
I guess you could say that. When in doubt, just try to go with a feminine article, as forty six percent of German words will be D. thirty four per cent der and twenty per cent das.
Not fair. Are there any more tips that we know of that will always indicate the mail article?
Ja. Der Tag, der Morgen, der Abend, and all seasons. Der Sommer, der Herbst, der Winter, der Frühling. And Latin endings like isthmus present you with familiar words such as Der Communismus, Der Rassismus, Der Sexismus. Speaking of which, I think it's a nice discovery that our language doesn't necessarily mirror our male dominated world. Language informs the way we think. And maybe that is one reason why German is so poetic.
Point taken Hey, what about die Nachrichten?
Ja, thanks for mentioning the plural article, which is always die, as we know from die Nachrichten. Some are really easy to understand. D kinder But the plural endings can vary, just like in English.
Let's go with an easy one, adding an S, as we have in car. Das Auto becomes die Autos. When there are several
Good one. And sometimes we just add an n. D energie de energien.
And some stay the same when the ending is in air. Der computer. De computer. Der helfer. De helfer. The helper and helpers.
Great examples. Air is also a plural ending for das gate, money. Die Gelder The Funds.
¶ Episode Conclusion and Review
Okay, there are a couple of others, but we covered so much today. I think we should stop here.
Gut, wir beenden die Lektion. Just a reminder that looking at this episode's corresponding grammar lesson will help deepen what you learned today.
And don't forget the quiz.
Super! Auf Wiedersehen!