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), 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.

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

See also: Erst- as a prefix in compound words, Erste and erster in related forms, and general discussion of German ordinal numerals.