déi / dat Before Adjectives

The Article Before an Adjective: Déi and Dat

Level 2

D' only works directly before a noun. When an adjective comes in between, use déi (feminine and plural) or dat (neuter): d'Fra → déi jonk Fra, d'Haus → dat grousst Haus.

How It Works

The switch

  • feminine: d'Fra → déi jonk Fra
  • plural: d'Kanner → déi kleng Kanner
  • neuter: d'Haus → dat grousst Haus
  • masculine: de Mann → de grousse Mann (no change; den follows the n-rule as usual)

Adjective endings
The adjective still takes its own ending: -t with neuter nouns (dat grousst Haus), no ending with feminine and plural nouns (déi jonk Fra), and -en (-e) with masculine nouns (de grousse Mann).

Not the same as that
Here déi and dat simply mean the. The same words can also point at something, like that or those, usually with do or hei: Déi Fra do schafft hei. See deen, déi and dat as demonstratives.

Only the nominative and accusative
In the dative, the articles are dem, der and den with or without an adjective: mat der jonker Fra. See adjective endings in the dative.

Examples (6)

  1. Déi jonk Fra schafft an enger Bank.

    The young woman works in a bank.

    Word by Word: The young woman works in a bank.

    D'Fra becomes déi jonk Fra because jonk comes between the article and the noun.

  2. Dat grousst Haus ass al.

    The big house is old.

    Word by Word: The big house is old.

    Haus is neuter: dat, and the adjective adds -t.

  3. Ech huelen déi rout Täsch.

    I'll take the red bag.

    Word by Word: I take the red bag.

    Täsch is feminine, so the article before the adjective is déi.

  4. Dat klengt Kand schléift.

    The little child is sleeping.

    Word by Word: The little child sleeps.

    D'Kand becomes dat klengt Kand.

  5. Déi kleng Kanner spillen am Gaart.

    The little children are playing in the garden.

    Word by Word: The little children play in the garden.

    Plural nouns also take déi before an adjective.

  6. De grousse Mann ass mäi Brudder.

    The tall man is my brother.

    Word by Word: The big man is my brother.

    Masculine den does not change; it becomes de before g by the n-rule.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping d' before an adjective.

    D'jonk Fra schafft an enger Bank.
    Déi jonk Fra schafft an enger Bank.

    D' can only stand directly before a noun. With an adjective in between, use déi.

  • Forgetting the neuter -t on the adjective after dat.

    Dat grouss Haus ass al.
    Dat grousst Haus ass al.

    With a neuter noun in the nominative or accusative, the adjective adds -t: grousst.

  • Using déi with a masculine noun.

    Déi grousse Mann ass mäi Brudder.
    De grousse Mann ass mäi Brudder.

    Only feminine, plural and neuter articles change. Masculine den stays den, here de by the n-rule.

How It Connects

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déi / dat Before AdjectivesLevel 2The Article Before an Adjective: Déi and Dat

Learn This First

Before The Article Before an Adjective: Déi and Dat, learn The Short Article D'.

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Words in This Pattern

déid'