Introduction
Demonstrative pronouns in German are used to point out specific things. They are equivalent to English words like "this," "that," "these," and "those." In German, they change according to the gender, case, and number of the noun they refer to.
Demonstrative Pronouns in German
Here are the demonstrative pronouns for each gender in the nominative, accusative, and dative cases:
| Gender |
Nominative |
Accusative |
Dative |
| Masculine |
dieser (this) |
diesen (that) |
diesem (to this) |
| Feminine |
diese (this) |
diese (that) |
dieser (to this) |
| Neuter |
dieses (this) |
dieses (that) |
diesem (to this) |
| Plural |
diese (these) |
diese (those) |
diesen (to these) |
Examples of Usage
Nominative Case: Identifying something.
- Das ist dieser Tisch. (This is this table.)
- Diese Lampe ist neu. (This lamp is new.)
- Ist dieses Auto schnell? (Is this car fast?)
- Diese Bücher gehören mir. (These books belong to me.)
Accusative Case: Pointing out what is being acted upon.
- Ich sehe diesen Mann. (I see this man.)
- Hast du diese Tasche gesehen? (Did you see this bag?)
- Wir brauchen dieses Buch. (We need this book.)
- Ich mag diese Äpfel. (I like these apples.)
Dative Case: Expressing to whom or to what something is directed.
- Ich gebe diesem Mann ein Geschenk. (I give this man a gift.)
- Er hilft dieser Frau. (He helps this woman.)
- Sie zeigt diesem Kind das Bild. (She shows the picture to this child.)
- Wir danken diesen Gästen. (We thank these guests.)