The very first step of learning German is mastering der, die, das — every noun carries one of these three articles, and you need to know it before you can say anything correctly. The second step is the possessive pronouns mein, dein, sein, which follow the same pattern. This A1 exercise trains both, with instant feedback.
Short answer: every German noun has a gender — masculine (der), feminine (die) or neuter (das). The indefinite article is ein (masculine/neuter) or eine (feminine). Possessives like mein, dein, sein take the same endings: mein Hund, meine Frau, mein Buch.
The three German articles
| Gender | Definite | Indefinite | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der | ein | der Mann / ein Mann |
| Feminine | die | eine | die Frau / eine Frau |
| Neuter | das | ein | das Buch / ein Buch |
Possessive pronouns (Possessivpronomen)
Possessives tell you who owns something. They look like ein/eine and take the same endings:
- mein (my): mein Hund, meine Katze, mein Buch
- dein (your, informal): dein Auto, deine Schwester
- sein (his) / ihr (her, their): sein Bruder, ihre Eltern
- unser (our), euer (your, plural): unser Haus, eure Kinder
Need a teacher to guide your first steps? A German course in Munich starts exactly here — with the articles and the simplest sentences.
Exercise A – Articles: fill in the gap
Type the correct definite or indefinite article. Capitalise at the start of a sentence.
Fill each gap with der, die, das, ein or eine.
Show the full solutions
Der Hund heißt Rex.
Ich habe eine Katze.
Das ist das Haus.
Wo ist der Tisch?
Die Lampe ist neu.
Er hat einen (ein) Bruder.
Das Kind spielt draußen.
Ist das ein Auto?
Exercise B – Possessives: fill in the gap
Type the correct possessive pronoun (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer) including the right ending.
Fill each gap with the correct possessive (mein, deine, sein, ihre, unser, euer...).
Show the full solutions
Das ist mein Buch.
Meine Mutter ist Lehrerin.
Ist das dein Hund?
Seine Schwester heißt Anna.
Wir lieben unsere Kinder.
Sind das ihre Eltern?
Euer Auto ist neu.
Articles and possessives at A1: what to focus on
- Learn every noun with its article: die Lampe, der Tisch, das Buch — never a bare noun.
- Spot gender patterns: feminine endings like -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft are your safest friends.
- Possessives match ein/eine: the ending rules are identical — learn them together.
- Practise aloud: say the article + noun out loud, it builds the muscle memory fast.
- Don't worry about cases yet: this exercise uses only the nominative; cases come at A1/A2.
Continue practising at A1 with the numbers exercise, the verbs with vowel change and the very easy conjugation exercise.
For authoritative grammar reference, see the Duden language guide and DW Learn German.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know whether a German noun is der, die or das?
German nouns have three grammatical genders. There are useful patterns: most words ending in -er, -ig, -ling are masculine (der); most ending in -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ion are feminine (die); most ending in -chen, -lein, -ment are neuter (das). But many common words must simply be memorised together with their article — always learn die Lampe, not just Lampe.
When do I use “ein” or “eine”?
Ein is used before masculine and neuter nouns (ein Mann, ein Buch), eine before feminine nouns (eine Frau, eine Lampe). There is no plural form — for plurals you use keine or no article at all.
What do mein, dein and sein mean?
They are possessive pronouns: mein = my/mine, dein = your (informal), sein = his, ihr = her/their, unser = our, euer = your (plural). They take the same endings as ein/eine: mein Mann, meine Frau, mein Buch.
Do possessive endings change?
Yes. The base form (mein, dein, sein) is used with masculine and neuter nouns in the nominative. Feminine nouns add -e: meine, deine, seine. Plurals also add -e: meine Bücher. These endings match the indefinite article ein/eine.
Where can I practise more A1 German?
Try the free A1 numbers exercise, the A1 verbs with vowel change and the A1 listening comprehension test.
