dieser, diese, dieses: German Demonstratives
In English it is simply this, but in German you have to choose between dieser, diese, dieses, diesen and diesem. In this lesson, YourGermanTeacher shows you how to form the German demonstrative pronouns (Demonstrativpronomen) and when to use them.
What Are Demonstrative Pronouns?
The name comes from the Latin demonstrare, to show. You use them when you point at something: Which one do you like? This one here. They also refer to a noun you mentioned before (that is why they are called pronouns) and they emphasise something.
The Endings
You always have dies- plus an ending, and the endings are the same as the definite articles. That is the easiest way to remember them.
| Nominative | Accusative | Dative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | dieser (der) | diesen (den) | diesem (dem) |
| Neuter | dieses (das) | dieses (das) | diesem (dem) |
| Feminine | diese (die) | diese (die) | dieser (der) |
| Plural | diese (die) | diese (die) | diesen (den) |
The extra e in dieser and dieses is only there for pronunciation.
Examples in Each Case
| Case | Situation | Question and answer |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (masc.) | At IKEA, testing chairs | Welcher Stuhl ist bequemer? - Dieser ist viel bequemer. |
| Nominative (fem.) | Choosing a couch | Welche Couch gefÀllt dir? - Diese hier gefÀllt mir. |
| Accusative (masc.) | In a restaurant | Welchen Wein können Sie empfehlen? - Diesen da. Er ist im Angebot. |
| Accusative (plural) | At a fruit stand | Diese da sehen lecker aus. |
| Dative (fem.) | At the S-Bahn station | Mit welcher Bahn fÀhrst du? - Mit dieser hier, die S2. |
| Dative (neuter) | Proving where you read something | In welchem Buch hast du das gelesen? - In diesem hier steht es. |
Why these cases? The waiter's answer is accusative because empfehlen takes the accusative. Mit and in (here with a location) take the dative.
hier, da and dort: How Far Away?
Diese hier is right here, diese da is a little further away, and diese dort is over there, the farthest away from you.
Bonus Tip 1: dies- as an Article
So far you used dies- as a pronoun. It also works as an article before a noun: Dieser Stift ist kaputt. Here Stift is the noun, so dieser is an article. Both have the same endings, so you do not need to worry about the difference.
Diesen Sommer fliege ich nach Bali. This is accusative because it is a time expression without a preposition. The question is Wann? and the same happens with jeden Sonntag or diesen Sonntag.
Bonus Tip 2: Welch- and dies- Match
The question word welch- has the same endings as dies-. In an exercise, look at the question word and use the same ending in your answer: Welche FrĂŒchte magst du? - Diese.
What to Learn Next
First watch or read welcher, welche, welches: Which One to Use if you have not yet. Then review the cases in Akkusativ or Dativ? German Cases Explained and the verbs that take the accusative in 30 Most Important German Verbs with Accusative.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say this in German?
Use dieser, dieses or diese depending on gender, case and number. Dieser is masculine, dieses is neuter, diese is feminine and plural.
What is the difference between dieser and welcher?
Welcher asks the question and dieser gives the answer. They have the same endings: Welcher Stuhl ist bequemer? Dieser.
What is the difference between diese hier, diese da and diese dort?
It is about distance. Hier is close to you, da is a bit further away and dort is the farthest away.
Why is diesen Sommer accusative?
It is a time expression without a preposition, and such expressions use the accusative: Diesen Sommer fliege ich nach Bali.
Can dieser be an article as well as a pronoun?
Yes. As a pronoun it stands alone (Dieser ist besser), as an article it stands before a noun (Dieser Stift ist kaputt). The endings are identical.
Want to build solid grammar step by step, from articles to cases? Explore our German A2 online course and learn with structured lessons.
