# der

**Part of speech:** DET  
**Frequency rank:** #1 most common German word  
**Language:** German

The German definite article ("the"). Unlike English "the", it changes form for gender, case, and number — der/die/das/den/dem/des are all "the". It is also used as a demonstrative and relative pronoun.

## Meanings

- **the (definite article)** — Marks a specific, known noun. The form shows the noun's gender and case, so it carries grammar English "the" doesn't.
- **that one / he / this (demonstrative)** — Stressed in speech, der/die/das points ("that one"). Very common in spoken German instead of er/sie/es.
- **who / which / that (relative pronoun)** — Introduces a relative clause and sends the verb to the end.

## Forms

die, der, den, das, dem, des, dessen, deren

## Nearby words by frequency

- [sein](https://mostspoken.com/words/de/sein)
- [ich](https://mostspoken.com/words/de/ich)
- [sie](https://mostspoken.com/words/de/sie)
- [ein](https://mostspoken.com/words/de/ein)
- [nicht](https://mostspoken.com/words/de/nicht)
- [haben](https://mostspoken.com/words/de/haben)

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Source: [https://mostspoken.com/words/de/der](https://mostspoken.com/words/de/der) — MostSpoken German frequency dictionary.