The zero article, or Nullartikel, in German is basically a way to say that there is no is used in front of a .
- Tom arbeitet seit letztem Jahr als (—) Ingenieur.Translation: Tom has been working as an engineer since last year.
- Die Suppe schmeckt nicht gut. Ich habe zu viel (—) Salz hineingetan.Translation: The soup doesn’t taste good. I added too much (—) salt.
As you can see, English also uses the zero article sometimes, but not always in exactly the same places as in German! In this article, we’ll break the zero article down for you and find out when to use it. Are you ready? Let’s do it!
Review: What are articles in German?
In German, articles are little words like der meaning the or eine meaning a, an, that are used to introduce nouns. Before talking about the zero article, let’s do a quick review of the other types of articles in German and when you’ll use those!
Definite and indefinite articles
The two types of German articles you’re probably most familiar with are definite articles and indefinite articles:
| Definite article: “the” | Indefinite article: “a(n)” | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der | ein |
| Feminine | die | eine |
| Masculine | das | ein |
| Masculine | der | — |
Unlike English “a(n)” or “the,” German articles take different endings depending on the , , and of the noun they precede. Additionally, there are some cases where you’ll use definite or indefinite articles in German where you wouldn’t use them in English. For example:
- Wir wohnen in der Ludwigstraße.Translation: We live on (the) Ludwig Street.before street names
- Der Hut des Mannes ist braun.Translation: The man’s the hat is brown.before both the possessor and the possessed noun
- Der Winter kommt.Translation: The Winter is coming.before seasons
- Der alte Otto ist gestern gestorben.Translation: The Old Otto died yesterday.before some proper names
We’ll cover some of the differences like this below, or you could check out our posts on German definite articles and indefinite articles in German to learn more!
Negative articles
The negative article kein(e) meaning no, not any is used to negate nouns with no article, much like “no” + noun in English.
You can use kein to negate any noun that wouldn’t ordinarily have a definite article. Make sure to use the right agreement forms!
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
keinen | keine | kein | keine |
Ich habe keinen Hund. Translation: I have no dog. | Wir haben keine Katze. Translation: We have no cat. | Sie haben kein Pferd. Translation: They have no horse. | Ihr habt keine Kühe. Translation: You have no cows. |
For more details check out our post on German negation!
When to use a zero article in German?
The most common use of the zero article in German is similar to English: it is used before an indefinite plural noun:
- Ich liebe (—) große und kleine Hunde.Translation: I love (—) big and small dogs.
- Du hast (—) Freunde.Translation: You have (—) friends.
However, there are also some other cases where we use the zero article in German. Some of these other uses overlap with English, but not all of them!
Let’s take a closer look at all the different use cases for the zero article. We will highlight all of these differences between German and English below!
Nationalities and languages
The zero article is generally used before a nationality or a language, in both German and English:
- Ich bin (—) Deutsche.Translation: I am (—) German.
- In Deutschland spricht man (—) Deutsch.Translation: In Germany one speaks (—) German.
Cities, countries, and continents
In German, we do not generally use an article before the names of cities, countries or continents — just like English!
- (—) Berlin ist die Hauptstadt von (—) Deutschland.Translation: (—) Berlin is the capital of (—) Germany.
- (—) Deutschland ist ein Land in (—) Europa.Translation: (—) Germany is a country in (—) Europe.
However, just like we use “the” before a few countries and cities in English (e.g. “the United States”), some countries take definite articles in German. For example:
das Vereinigte KönigreichTranslation: the United KingdomYou will also hear a definite article used before countries, cities, and continents that are accompanied by additional descriptions. This is more common in German than it is in English:
- Das Berlin, das ich aus meiner Kindheit kenne, existiert nicht mehr.Translation: The Berlin that I remember from my childhood, no longer exists.
- das wiedervereinigte DeutschlandTranslation: the reunited Germany
Job titles
However, you will still use definite or indefinite articles in some circumstances such as:
When a relative clause follows the job title:
Ich bin eine Krankenschwester, die ihren Job liebt.Translation: I’m a nurse who loves her job.When you are referring to a person using the name of their profession:
Der Arzt nahm mich ernst.Translation: The doctor took me seriously.
Names
The names of people generally do not need an article in German.
(—) Paul arbeitet an der Universität.Translation: (—) Paul works for the university.This includes names that begin with titles like Herr meaning Mr., Frau meaning Mrs., Ms., Doktor meaning Doctor etc.
Heute Abend gehe ich mit (—) Frau Schmidt ins Kino.Translation: I’m going to the movies with (—) Ms. Schmidt tonight.After measurement words
German nouns that follow measurement words don’t take an article in German.
Ich kaufe einen Liter (—) Milch.Translation: I’m buying one liter (of) (—) milk.After materials and substances
In both German and English you don’t use articles to describe what something is made out of.
- Das Dach ist aus (—) Holz?Translation: The roof is made of (—) wood.
- Diese Statue ist aus (—) Stein.Translation: This statue is made of (—) stone.
Notice that unlike when giving measurements, here you do need a preposition aus meaning out of!
Mass nouns
In both German and English you don’t use articles when using mass nouns, which are not countable.
- Trink bitte mehr (—) Wasser!Translation: Drink more (—) water, please!
- (—) Strom ist teurer geworden.Translation: (—) Energy has gotten more expensive.
Generalizing days of the week, months, or seasons
When talking about days of the week, months, or seasons in a general context you don’t need an article in German, just like English!
- (—) November ist ein grauer Monat in Deutschland.Translation: (—) November is a gray month in Germany.
- Endlich ist (—) Sommer!Translation: It’s finally (—) summer!
In newspaper headlines or titles
Like in English, you’ll often see a lack of articles in newspaper headlines and advertisements. This is mainly for stylistic reasons or to save space.
- (—) Mörder in der Frankfurter Innenstadt festgenommen!Translation: (—) Murderer arrested in Downtown Frankfurt.
- (—)Verspielter Hund sucht neues Zuhause.Translation: (—) Playful dog is looking for a new home.
Abstract or religious concepts
As in English, German nouns for abstract concepts are often generally mass nouns, and so you do not add an article before them.
- Diese Organisation kämpft für (—) Gleichberechtigung.Translation: This organization fights for (—) equality.
- In ihrem Job braucht Tina viel (—) Geduld.Translation: Tina needs lots of (—) patience in her job.
As in English, though, if you want to refer to a specific instance of these concepts, such as “the patience of a saint,” you will need an article.
Die Demokratie in Deutschland funktioniert gut.Translation: (The) Democracy in Germany works well.Noun-verb compounds
In German, some nouns will take no article when used after certain verbs, if the verb refers to a performance of the action in general. Compare:
- Ich lese (—) Zeitung.Translation: I read the newspaper.Describes what I typically do in the morning.
- Ich lese die Zeitung.Translation: I read the newspaper.Describes what I did to some specific newspaper.
Though we have a few expressions in English that are a bit like this, as in “I watched TV” vs. “I watched the TV,” in German they are quite common.
Other miscellaneous fixed expressions
There are also some fixed expressions in German, where the noun(s) are not preceded by an article. Find more in our zero article reference sheet!
- Ich verstehe nur (—) Bahnhof.Translation: I don’t understand anything.Literally: I only understand (—) train station.This literal translation cracks me up every single time!
- Hast du mal (—) Feuer?Translation: Do you have a light?
- Wir waren bei dieser Sache mit (—) Leib und (—) Seele dabei.Translation: We put (our) heart and soul into it.
Summary
In this post, we talked about the use of the zero article in German. Here are the most important takeaways:
The zero article is the name we give to a noun in German that has no article.
In general, the zero article is used before indefinite plural nouns, but it is also used in other cases like:
before nationalities and languages
before the names of cities, countries, continents, and people
for materials, substances, mass nouns, abstract concepts, and measured words
to talk about days of the week, months, or years, in general
in newspaper headlines
after certain verbs and in some set phrases
And now, head on over to our activities to practice the zero article in German!
