der

Der is a key word in German grammar serving as a definite article and, in some cases, as a relative pronoun. As a definite article, der marks masculine singular nouns in the nominative case, for example Der Mann schläft (The man sleeps). It is one of the three definite articles in German, alongside die (feminine and plural) and das (neuter).

Declension and usage

Der changes form only in the sense of its case for masculine singular nouns: nominative der, genitive des, dative dem, accusative den. With adjectives following the definite article, German uses a weak declension pattern, producing forms such as Der große Mann (the tall man) or Der neue Film (the new film). The form of the article itself remains der in the nominative masculine singular position.

Relative pronoun function

Beyond its role as a determiner, der also serves as a relative pronoun for masculine singular antecedents, meaning “who” or “which.” For example: Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Lehrer (The man who is standing there is my teacher). In this role, der agrees with the gender and case of the antecedent noun and appears in the relative clause accordingly (den, dem, or des for other cases).

Other uses

Der appears in proper nouns and titles, such as Der Spiegel or Der Tagesspiegel, where it is part of a name rather than a grammatical marker. In broader terms, DER can also be used as an acronym in various fields (for example in energy policy as distributed energy resources), but its primary significance remains within German grammar.

Etymology and overview

The form der derives from the definite article lineage in West Germanic languages and is cognate with the English “the.” Its usage is fundamental for gender and case agreement in standard German syntax.