The idea
Learn der, die or das with each German noun. Neuter is a grammatical category, not a category restricted to things without life.
One contrast, not a prediction about every learner
Modern Standard Arabic has masculine and feminine grammatical gender. German also has neuter, and the gender of an Arabic translation does not determine a German noun's article.
Individual experience, dialect and other languages you know can change which comparisons help. Use the contrast to notice a German choice; do not treat it as a label for a whole group of people.
Repair the transfer
Kind braucht immer der, weil es eine Person ist.Das Kind ist grammatisch neutral.Learn der, die or das with each German noun. Neuter is a grammatical category, not a category restricted to things without life.
Examples
- Das Kind sucht seinen roten Handschuh.The child is looking for their red glove.
- Der Vogel sitzt auf dem niedrigen Ast.The bird is sitting on the low branch.
- Die Katze schläft unter dem warmen Ofen.The cat sleeps under the warm stove.
- Das Tier im Garten gehört den Nachbarn.The animal in the garden belongs to the neighbors.
- Ich lege das neue Heft neben die Lampe.I put the new notebook beside the lamp.
- Der Stuhl und das Regal passen in die Ecke.The chair and the shelving unit fit in the corner.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic German voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No German device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
Do not generalize a source-language pattern to every German sentence. Learn der, die or das with each German noun. Neuter is a grammatical category, not a category restricted to things without life.
Try it yourself
Korrigiere: Kind braucht immer der, weil es eine Person ist.
Show answer or example answer
Das Kind ist grammatisch neutral.
Das Kind ist grammatisch neutral. Learn der, die or das with each German noun. Neuter is a grammatical category, not a category restricted to things without life.
Ins Deutsche übertragen: The child is looking for their red glove.
Show answer or example answer
Das Kind sucht seinen roten Handschuh.
Das Kind sucht seinen roten Handschuh. Learn der, die or das with each German noun. Neuter is a grammatical category, not a category restricted to things without life.
Ins Deutsche übertragen: I put the new notebook beside the lamp.
Show answer or example answer
Ich lege das neue Heft neben die Lampe.
Ich lege das neue Heft neben die Lampe. Keep the meaning of the whole sentence while using the German pattern.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
Korrigiere: Kind braucht immer der, weil es eine Person ist.
Das Kind ist grammatisch neutral.
Ins Deutsche übertragen: The child is looking for their red glove.
Das Kind sucht seinen roten Handschuh.
Ins Deutsche übertragen: I put the new notebook beside the lamp.
Ich lege das neue Heft neben die Lampe.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
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Write three German sentences of your own that follow the pattern of “Das Kind ist grammatisch neutral.”. Check each one for the Modern Standard Arabic habit this lesson corrects, then read them aloud.