Begleiter: Begleiter is a school term for words that precede and accompany a noun. This includes articles such as “der" and "ein“, but also words like “mein","dieser”Or“kein“The technical term for this group is article words.”
Level: A1
What is a Begleiter?
A Begleiter It accompanies the noun, like a person who accompanies you. It comes before the noun, sometimes with an adjective in between: der Hund, der kleine Hund, mein kleiner Hund.
The most important Begleiter is the ArticleIn some schoolbooks they are called der, die, das certain Begleiter and ein, eine indefinite BegleiterIn addition, there are other words that function like articles, for example: mein or dieserIn the German course, the whole group is called... Article words.
The Begleiter It also determines which ending an adjective will get after it: der kleine Hund, but ein kleiner Hund.
What Begleiter is there?
These words stand as Begleiter before a noun:
| Discover African | examples | Task |
|---|---|---|
| Specific article | der, die, das | for something familiar |
| Indefinite article | ein, eine | for something new |
| Possessivartikel | mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer | shows who owns something |
| Demonstrativartikel | dieser, jener | points to something specific |
| Negative article | kein, keine | negates the noun |
| Question article | welcher, welche, welches | asks for one of several |
| other article words | jeder, mancher, alle | say how many are meant |
Begleiter or Fürwort?
Many Begleiter They can also stand alone. In that case, they don't accompany a noun, but stand for it. The word is a... Fürwort:
- Dieser Pullover ist schön. (Begleiter) and Ich nehme diesen. (Fürwort)
- Das ist mein Stift. (Begleiter) and Der Stift ist meiner. (Fürwort)
- Ich habe kein Auto. (Begleiter) and Ich habe keins. (Fürwort)
The test is simple: If a noun follows it, the word is a BegleiterIf it stands alone, it is a FürwortPay attention to the shape: mein Stift, but alone meiner, and kein Auto, but alone keins.
Nouns without Begleiter
Sometimes a noun stands entirely without... Begleiter. This is called Zero articleThis is typical:
- in the plural, when nothing specific is meant: Ich kaufe Äpfel.
- in substances and collective terms such as Wasser or Obst: Ich trinke Wasser. Obst ist gesund.
- for most names of people and cities: Anna wohnt in Berlin.
- in fixed phrases: nach Hause gehen
examples
| Example | Declaration |
|---|---|
| Der Zug kommt gleich. | der is the definite article before Zug. |
| Meine Schwester wohnt in Wien. | meine is a possessive article. Schwester is feminine, therefore meine. |
| Diesen Film kenne ich schon. | diesen is a demonstrative article. Film is masculine and is in the accusative case. |
| Wir haben keine Milch mehr. | keine is the negative article. It negates. Milch. |
| Welches Kleid nimmst du? | welches is an interrogative article before the neuter noun Kleid. |
| Jedes Kind bekommt ein Eis. | ZWEI Begleiter: jedes near Kind and ein near Eis. |
Frequently asked questions
Is Begleiter The same as articles?
Not quite. The article is the most important one. BegleiterThis also includes words like mein, dieser, kein or welcherThe technical term for all of them together is article words.
How do I recognize one? Begleiter?
A Begleiter It precedes a noun, often with an adjective in between: mein neues HandyIf the word stands alone, it is not Begleiter, but a Fürwort: Das Handy ist meins.
Does the shape of a Begleiters?
Yes. A Begleiter adapts to the gender, number, and case of its noun: mein Bruder, meine Schwester, meinen Bruder in the accusative case, meinem Bruder in the dative case.
You will learn this term in the German course A1 from Deutsch1, with explanatory videos, exercises and feedback.
Related terms
Article words , articles , possessive articles , negative articles (no) , gender words , zero articles
Comprehensive guide: Adjective endings in German: the complete table