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Erster

Erster is a German adjective form meaning “first” when used before masculine singular nouns. It is the nominative singular form that typically appears without a definite article or after an indefinite article, as in ein erster Tag or ein erster Schritt. After the definite article der, the corresponding form is erste: der erste Tag. The word changes its ending to agree with gender, case, and number, so it has different inflected forms such as ersten (masculine accusative), erste (feminine nominative/accusative), erstes (neuter nominative/accusative), and die ersten Tage (plural).

Common usages include phrases like ein erster Versuch (a first attempt), der erste Tag (the first day),

Etymology and history: Erster derives from the German word erst, meaning “first” or “earliest,” and appears as

See also: Erst- as a prefix in compound words, Erste and erster in related forms, and general

and
das
erste
Mal
(the
first
time).
The
neuter
form
erstes
is
used
with
das
erste
Mal
and
with
neuter
nouns
in
other
contexts,
while
feminine
forms
use
erste,
as
in
die
erste
Stunde.
the
attributive
ordinal
form
in
various
inflectional
patterns.
Its
development
follows
the
standard
German
declension
of
adjectives
used
in
ordinal
numerals,
with
forms
adapting
to
the
gender,
number,
and
case
of
the
noun
it
modifies.
The
distinction
between
er
and
er**ste**
forms
is
a
feature
of
German
grammar
that
helps
mark
definiteness
and
agreement
in
noun
phrases.
discussion
of
German
ordinal
numerals.