23.6. Adjectives in German: Demonstrative Adjectives

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23.6. Adjectives in German: Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives in German are a fundamental part of German grammar and are used to specify or point to something or someone specific. They are equivalent to the English demonstrative adjectives 'this', 'that', 'these' and 'those'. In German, demonstrative adjectives agree in gender, number and case with the noun they refer to. This means they have different forms depending on the gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and number (singular, plural) of the noun, and also the grammatical case (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive) the noun is in.

Forms of demonstrative adjectives in German

The basic forms of demonstrative adjectives in German are 'dieser' (this), 'diese' (this), 'dieses' (this) for the singular, and 'diese' (these, these) for the plural. However, these forms change depending on the grammatical case. For example, in the accusative case, the forms are 'diesen' (for masculine nouns), 'diese' (for feminine and plural) and 'dieses' (for neuters). In the dative case, the forms are 'diesem' (for masculine and neuter), 'dieser' (for feminine) and 'diesen' (for plurals). In the genitive case, the forms are 'dieses' (for masculine and neuter), 'dieser' (for feminine) and 'dieser' (for plurals).

Use of demonstrative adjectives in German

Demonstrative adjectives in German are used to point to something or someone specific. They are used in combination with a noun and agree in gender, number and case with that noun. For example, to say 'this book' in German, you would say 'dieses Buch' (using 'dieses' because 'Buch' is neuter and in the nominative case). To say 'this house' you would say 'dieses Haus' (using 'dieses' because 'Haus' is neuter and in the nominative case). To say 'these books', you would say 'diese Bücher' (using 'diese' because 'Bücher' is plural and in the nominative case).

Example sentences with demonstrative adjectives in German

Here are some examples of German sentences that use demonstrative adjectives:

1. 'Dieses Buch ist sehr interesting.' (This book is very interesting.)
2. 'Ich mag diesen Film nicht.' (I don't like this movie.)
3. 'Diese Blumen sind für dich.' (These flowers are for you.)
4. 'Dieser Hund ist sehr freundlich.' (This dog is very friendly.)

Conclusion

Demonstrative adjectives in German are an important part of German grammar. They are used to point to something or someone specific and agree in gender, number and case with the noun they refer to. The basic forms are 'dieser', 'diese' and 'dieses' for singular, and 'diese' for plural, but these forms change depending on the grammatical case. With a little practice, you'll be able to use these demonstrative adjectives correctly in your German conversations.

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9123.7. Adjectives in German: Interrogative Adjectives