Topic test 1 — Articles & plural
der / die / das, and how plurals work
How to use this page: answer, then press Check answers. Anything you get wrong opens a Why box explaining the rule in English.
Quick recap before you start
German has three genders. You cannot always guess, but these rules cover most exam words.
der (masculine)
- Male people and jobs: der Mann, der Lehrer, der Arzt
- Days, months, seasons: der Montag, der Juni, der Sommer
- Directions and weather: der Norden, der Regen, der Wind
- Most alcoholic drinks: der Wein, der Saft
Exception to learn: das Bier is
neuter, even though most drinks are der. Your class notes list it as
der Bier — that is a slip. It is das Bier.
die (feminine)
- Female people: die Frau, die Lehrerin
- Trees and flowers: die Rose, die Blume
- These endings, always: -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -tät, -ion, -ie, -ik, -ei
das (neuter)
- Young beings: das Kind, das Baby, das Mädchen
- Anything ending -chen or -lein: das Mädchen
- Verbs used as nouns: das Essen, das Trinken
Plural is easy: every plural noun takes
die, whatever its singular gender was.
der Tisch → die Tische.
Part A — Choose der, die or das
Write the correct article. 12 questions.
1. ___ Lehrerin
die
2. ___ Montag
der
3. ___ Mädchen
das
4. ___ Zeitung
die
5. ___ Bier
das
6. ___ Sommer
der
7. ___ Kind
das
8. ___ Wohnung
die
9. ___ Arzt
der
10. ___ Essen
das
11. ___ Universität
die
12. ___ Kaffee
der
Part B — Make it plural
Write the plural with its article. 8 questions.
1. der Tisch → ___ Tische
die
2. das Kind → die ___
Kinder
3. die Frau → die ___
Frauen
4. der Mann → die ___
Männer
5. das Auto → die ___
Autos
6. die Lehrerin → die ___
Lehrerinnen
7. der Apfel → die ___
Äpfel
8. das Buch → die ___
Bücher
Part C — Spot the mistake
Choose the correct sentence. 6 questions.
1. Which is correct?
Das Mädchen ist klein.
2. Which is correct?
Ich trinke das Bier.
3. Which is correct?
Die Wohnung ist groß.
4. Which is correct?
Die Tische sind neu.
5. Which is correct?
Der Juni ist warm.
6. Which is correct?
Das Essen ist gut.
How you did
This test has 26 questions. Aim for 15+ — that is the 60% you need to pass a Goethe module.
Anything you got wrong now shows a Why box with the rule in English. Read those, then press Reset and do the test again.