Demonstratives (dieser, jener)
Demonstratives point something out — 'this one', 'that one'. German's main demonstrative is dieser/diese/dieses ('this'), which declines exactly like the definite article der/die/das (dieser/diesen/diesem/dieses…). In everyday speech, German also uses the plain articles der/die/das as stressed demonstratives ('that one', 'those'), where the stress and context carry the pointing meaning.
dieser = 'this' and declines like 'der'
dieser takes the same endings as the definite article across all genders and cases. So just as it's der/die/das in the nominative, it's dieser/diese/dieses; and just as the masculine accusative is den, dieser becomes diesen.
dieser Mann
this man
masc. nom. — like 'der'
diese Frau
this woman
fem. nom. — like 'die'
dieses Kind
this child
neut. nom. — like 'das'
diese Kinder
these children
plural — like 'die'
dieser across the cases
Because it mirrors the definite article, the masculine accusative is diesen, the datives are diesem/dieser/diesem (m/f/n) and diesen in the plural, and the neuter/masculine genitive is dieses. If you know the der/die/das table, you already know dieser.
Ich kenne diesen Mann.
I know this man.
accusative masculine → diesen
mit diesem Auto
with this car
dative neuter → diesem
in dieser Stadt
in this city
dative feminine → dieser
der/die/das as a stressed demonstrative
In spoken German, the ordinary article is often used demonstratively — spoken with emphasis, it means 'that one / those'. Der (stressed) gefällt mir means 'I like that one'. It can stand alone as a pronoun (Den nehme ich — 'I'll take that one').
Der gefällt mir.
I like that one.
stressed 'der' = demonstrative pronoun
Den nehme ich.
I'll take that one.
accusative masculine, standing alone
Die sind schön.
Those are beautiful.
plural, stressed
'this' vs 'that'
dieser by itself simply means 'this'. To force a clear 'this here vs. that there' contrast, German adds hier and da/dort: dieser Mann hier ('this man here') vs. der Mann da ('that man there'). There's an older jener ('that'), but it sounds literary and is rarely used in modern speech — der … da is the everyday choice.
dieses Buch hier
this book here
das Buch da
that book there
Examples
dieser Mann
this man
declines like der
Ich kenne diesen Mann.
I know this man.
accusative → diesen
mit diesem Auto
with this car
dative → diesem
Der gefällt mir.
I like that one.
stressed der as demonstrative
das Buch da
that book there
der/das + da for 'that'
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | dieser | diese | dieses | diese |
| Accusative | diesen | diese | dieses | diese |
| Dative | diesem | dieser | diesem | diesen |
| Genitive | dieses | dieser | dieses | dieser |
Common mistakes
- Giving dieser the wrong ending — remember it copies der/die/das exactly, so masculine accusative is diesen.
- Overusing 'jener' for 'that'; in modern German it sounds literary — use der … da instead.
- Forgetting that a stressed der/die/das can itself be a demonstrative ('Den nehme ich').
- Adding an ending to dieses in the neuter — the neuter nom./acc. is dieses, matching das.
Lookup tips
- If you can decline der/die/das, just swap the stem and you have dieser/diese/dieses.
- Reach for dieser hier / der … da when you need an explicit 'this vs. that' contrast.
- A stressed article standing where you'd expect a pronoun is a demonstrative — read it as 'that one'.
Frequently asked questions
How does 'dieser' decline?
Exactly like the definite article der/die/das. Nominative: dieser/diese/dieses/diese; masculine accusative diesen; datives diesem/dieser/diesem/diesen; genitives dieses/dieser/dieses/dieser.
How do I say 'that' in German?
Everyday German uses der/die/das — often stressed, or with da/dort added: der Mann da ('that man there'). The word jener exists but sounds literary and is uncommon in speech.
Can 'der/die/das' be a demonstrative?
Yes. Spoken with stress, the article works as a demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that one / those': Der gefällt mir ('I like that one'), Den nehme ich ('I'll take that one').