Den. Gender of German nouns - define the article. What are the articles in the German language?

Anyone who is just starting to learn German faces the problem of articles. It is difficult for a Russian speaker to understand this topic, because in our speech we do not use anything similar to articles in German. In this article, we are accessible and simply answer the most common questions among beginners on this topic.

Articles in German are of several types: definite, indefinite and zero. Let's take a look at each of them in order.

Definite article

There are only four of them:

Der - for masculine nouns (der);

Die - for the feminine gender (di);

Das - for the neuter gender (das);

Die - plural (di).

They are used in the following cases:

1. When we know what it is about. If this subject has already been discussed earlier. For example: der Hund (a specific dog already mentioned).
2. To denote phenomena that are unique of their kind, which have no analogues in nature (die Erde - Earth).
3. To designate many geographical objects: rivers, cities, mountains, seas, oceans, streets, and so on (die Alpen - Alps).
4. If our noun is preceded by (der dritte Mann - the third person), or an adjective (der schnellste Mann - the fastest person).

Indefinite article

Ein - masculine and neuter (Ain);

Eine is feminine (Aine).

There is no article for the plural in this case.

In German, it is used in the following cases:

1. When we talk about objects unfamiliar to us (ein Hund is some kind of dog that we hear about for the first time).
2. After the phrase "es gibt" (literally "is"), for simplicity, you can draw an analogy with the English "there is" (Es gibt einen Weg - there is a road here).
3. For the designation of a species or class (Der Löwe ist ein Raubtier - lion - predatory animal).
4. With the verbs Haben (to have) and Brauchen (to need). For example: “Ich habe eine Arbeit” - I have a job.

Zero article

Not all articles in German actually exist. There is such a thing as In fact, this is the absence of an article at all. So, we don't write anything before a noun if:

1. It denotes a profession or occupation (Sie ist Ärztin - she is a doctor).
2. Before many of their own names (London ist die Hauptstadt von Großbritannien - London is the capital of Great Britain).
3. For the plural (Hier wohnen Menschen - people live here).
4. When designating any chemical substance, material (aus Gold - from gold).

Almost always in Russian and the corresponding articles in German differ from each other. For example, if our "girl" is feminine, then in German - the middle one - "das Mädchen". That is, like a "girl". There is a set of endings with which you can make it easier to determine the gender of a noun, but for the most part there is only one way out - to remember.

Another difficulty is the declension of the articles in German. As in Russian we do not say: “I see a girl,” so also in German. Each article is declined in case. The task is made easier by the fact that there are only four cases here: Nominativ (nominative), Genetiv (genitive), Dativ (dative), and Akkusativ (like the accusative). You just need to remember the declination. For your convenience, we provide a table below.

As for the indefinite articles, they incline according to the same principle. For example, the masculine article ein in Akk is einen, and -en is simply appended to it. This is the case with all other articles.

Is it possible to determine the gender of German nouns by some signs or is it always a guessing game?

The gender of nouns in German is determined somewhat more difficult than in Russian, however, certain patterns still exist. We have already briefly addressed this issue in the pages of German grammar and tutorial. Now let's try to cover the topic in more detail.

It is easier for us - speakers of Russian to deal with the category of gender than, say, the British, Chinese or Japanese. Nevertheless, we also have some difficulties. The thing is that the gender of German nouns very often does not coincide with the gender of Russians, and the phonetic form of the word does not always help. For example, the Sun is neuter for us, and in German - die Sonne female. The moon, in turn, is a man for the Germans for some reason - der Mond... Ideally, German nouns should be taught immediately with the corresponding article, while not forgetting that the article also changes depending on the declension. But this is a separate topic that you can learn more about in the grammar section.

Helpful advice: make a table in a notebook or on a computer and write down new words in it. Articles and plural forms can be marked with color. The table may look something like this:

Masculine gender (der)	Feminine (die)	Neuter (das)	Only plural (die)
der Mond, -e (Moon)	die Sonne, -n (Sun)	das Auge, -n (eye)	die Atemwege (airway)
der Witz, -e (kidding)	die Sprache, -n (language)	das Nomen, die Nomina / = (noun)	die Karpaten (Carpathians)
der Kalender, die Kalender (calendar)	die Liebe, -n (love)	das Kind, -er (child)	die Jeans (jeans)
der Mann, die Männer (male)	die Freiheit -en (freedom)	das Buch, die Bücher (book)	die Eltern (parents)

Some German nouns do not are not plural... But this will not surprise us, for example, the word Gesundheit- health we also exist only in the singular! But the coincidence with the Russian here is purely accidental.

And now, finally, we pass directly to the methods of determining the gender, more precisely, to the "generic characteristics" of German nouns.

1. Determination of the genus through biological sex:

• Male:
  der Mann is a man, der Student is a student, der Schüler is a student, der Lehrer is a teacher, der Dozent is an associate professor, der Herr is a gentleman, der Flieger is a pilot ...
• Female:
  die Frau, die Schülerin, die Studentin, die Lehrerin, die Dozentin, die Mechanikerin, ... In the case of the names of occupations and professions, the female name gets the ending -in.
  • There are exceptions to this rule:
    das Weib - woman, das Baby - baby (boy or girl), das Kind - child (boy or girl), das Mädchen - girl, das Fräulein - girl, die Person - person, person (man or woman)
• Some types of human activities directly tell us the gender of the noun:
  die Hausfrau - housewife / der Hausmann - house owner der Kaufmann - merchant / die Kauffrau - female merchant.

2. Determination of gender at the end

The following endings indicate neuter (article das):

The endings -chen and -lein generally give the word a diminutive meaning, although not everything is translated into Russian so unambiguously affectionately and diminutively.

• -chen
  Herzchen is a heart, Bäumchen is a tree, Bärchen is a bear cub, Häschen is a bunny, Schätzchen is a little treasure (about a person), Stühlchen is a chair, Eichhörnchen is a squirrel, etc. A girl, Mädchen, also falls under this comb.
• -um
  Datum - date, Publikum - audience, Stadium - stage, Universum - universe, etc.
• -lein
  Bächlein - a stream, Häuslein - a house, Strümpflein - a stocking, Stühllein - a chair, Tischlein - a table, etc. And, of course, a girl: Fräulein.
• -ment
  Argument, Dokument, Element, Instrument, Medikament, Argument, etc. These words, one must think, will do without translation.
• -tum
  Brauchtum - custom, Christentum - Christianity, Eigentum - property, etc. (Exceptions: der Irrtum - error, der Reichtum - wealth)

The following endings indicate the feminine gender (article die)

• -anz
  Allianz - alliance, Bilanz - total, Distanz - distance, Toleranz - tolerance, ...
• -ur
  Agentur - agency, Diktatur - dictatorship, Natur - nature, Rasur - shaving, Rezeptur - recipe, Tastatur - keyboard, Zensur - score, ...
• -ei
  Bäckerei - bakery, Bücherei - library, Druckerei - printing house, Reederei - shipping, Tischlerei - carpentry, Schlägerei - fight, ...
• -enz
  Existenz - presence, Intelligenz - intelligentsia, Konferenz - conference, Prominenz - celebrity, Tendenz - trend, ...
• -heit
  Frechheit - arrogance, Geborgenheit - security, Krankheit - illness, Sicherheit - safety, Trunkenheit - drunkenness, Wahrheit - true, ...
• -ie Demokratie, Energie, Fotografie, Linie, Ökonomie, Prämie, Studie, ... Here, too, everything is clear without translation.
• -keit
  Einigkeit - unity, Einsamkeit - loneliness, Geschwindigkeit - speed, Heiterkeit - cheerfulness, Müdigkeit - fatigue, Sauberkeit - purity, ...
• -ik
  Fabrik, Klinik, Politik, Statistik, Technik, ... And here we will omit the translation, especially since in Russian all these words are also feminine.
• -in
  Ärztin - woman doctor, Hündin - dog (bitch), Köchin - cook, Sekretärin - woman secret, Studentin - student, Türkin - Turkish, ...
• -ion
  Information, Nation, Produktion, Aktion, Diskussion, Position, Region, Religion. Here are how many German words you already know!
• -ität
  Stabilität - stability, Humanität - humanity, Aggressivität - aggressiveness, Aktivität - activity, Passivität - passivity, Objektivität - objectivity, ...
• -schaft
  Feindschaft - hostility, Freundschaft - friendship, Gesellschaft - society, Mannschaft - team, Meisterschaft - championship, Partnerschaft - partnership,
• -ung
  Bewegung - movement, Endung - ending, Entfernung - removal, Erziehung - education, Hoffnung - hope, Umgehung - bypass, Zeitung - newspaper, ...

The following endings indicate masculine gender (article der):

• -ant
  Emigrant - emigrant, Fabrikant - manufacturer, Lieferant - supplier, Mandant - client, Repräsentant - representative, Spekulant - speculator, ...
• -or
  Autor, Direktor, Doktor, Katalysator, Moderator, Monitor, Motor, Reaktor, ...
  Here, too, everything is clear. That's how many words we have in common!
• -ent
  Absolvent - Graduate, Agent - Agent, Dirigent - Conductor, Interessent - Interested Person, Konkurrent - Competitor, Patient - Patient, Präsident - President, Student - Student ...
• -ich, ish
  Gänserich - gander, Kranich - crane, Pfirsich - peach, Teppich - carpet ...
• -ling
  Feigling - coward, Lehrling - apprentice (master), Pfifferling - chanterelle mushroom, Schmetterling - moth, Zwilling - twin ...
• -ismus
  Alkoholismus - alcoholism, Atheismus - atheism, Faschismus - fascism, Realismus - realism, Nationalsozialismus - nationalism, Rassismus - racism, Tourismus - tourism ...
• -ist
  Artist, Jurist, Journalist, Optimist, Pessimist, Realist, Terrorist, Tourist
  Can we do without translation?
• Many nouns ending in -er are also masculine:
  Bruder - brother, Vater - father, Koffer - suitcase, Kanzler - chancellor, Anhänger - trailer, Meister - master, Besucher - visitor, Anfänger - beginner (novice), Bewerber - challenger, Adler - eagle ...

But the last rule has quite a few exceptions: das Fenster - window, das Leder - leather (material), das Ufer - shore, das Monster - monster, das Muster - sample, das Wasser - water, die Mutter - mother, die Butter - oil, die Ader - blood vessel, die Leber - liver, die Feder - feather, die Leiter - ladder (not to be confused with masculine noun der Leiter - Manager)

3. Determination of gender by the meaning of the word

In some cases, the gender of a noun can be determined by its meaning.

The following concepts are always masculine (article der)

• Time of day, months, seasons, days of the week
  Morgen - morning, Mittag - noon, Abend - evening, Frühling - spring, Sommer - summer, Herbst - autumn, Winter - winter, Januar - January, Februar - February, Montag - Monday, Dienstag - Tuesday, ... (Exceptions: die Nacht - night, die Mitternacht - midnight).
• Alcoholic drinks
  Cognac - cognac, Likör - liqueur, Punsch - punch, Rum - rum, Schnaps - schnapps, Sekt - champagne, Tequila - tequila, Wein - wine, Wodka - vodka, ... ( Exception- the favorite drink of the Germans is beer: das Bier)
• Car brand names
  Audi, Fiat, Ford, Mercedes, Toyota, Opel, Škoda, Dacia, VW, ... And here everything is clear without translation.
• Cardinal points
  Süden - South, Norden - North, Westen - West, Osten - East, Südwesten - Southwest, Nordosten - North-East, ...
• Weather events and precipitation:
  Föhn - south wind, Hagel - hail, Hurrikan - hurricane, Monsun - monsoon, Nebel - fog, Regen - rain, Schnee - snow, Tornado - tornado, Wind - wind, ... ( Exceptions: das Eis - ice, die Hitze - heat, die Kälte - cold, die Wolke - cloud)

The following nouns are always feminine (article die)

• On the contrary, motorcycle names are exclusively feminine:
  Harley-Davidson, BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, ...
• Substantiated (i.e., becoming nouns) numerals also refer to the feminine gender:
  Eins is one, Zwei is two, Dreizehn is number thirteen, Hundert is a hundred, Tausend is a thousand, Million is a million, Milliarde is a billion, Billion is a trillion, ...
• Despite the fact that the very word ship is das Schiff neuter, with ship names always use the feminine article die:
  die Konrad Adenauer, die Kaiser Wilhelm, die Titanic, die Queen Elizabeth, ...
• And for some reason, the names of cigars and cigarettes were also attributed to the female gender:
  Camel, Havanna, Lord Extra, Marlboro, ...

The following nouns are always neuter (article das):

• Color names:
  Blau - blue, Himmelblau - azure, Rosarot - red-pink color, Rot - red color, Schneeweiß - white, ...
• Substantiated verbs:
  Essen - food, Lernen - study, Reisen - travel, Trinken - drunkenness, ...

Do you remember all the rules? Good. Just keep in mind that there will be no fewer exceptions! For example, a dog in German will be masculine: der Hund, and the horse (or horse) is average das Pferd... The gender of some nouns defies logical explanation, here's an example: words ending in -el can be of any gender:

• die Spindel - spindle, spindle
• das Kapitel - chapter
• das Segel - sail
• der Wechsel - change, change
• der Artikel - article, article
• das Viertel - a quarter (And the Swiss have a quarter of the masculine gender - der Viertel)
• die Viertel - quarter note

Conclusion: learn German nouns immediately with the article. Do not be lazy to write down new words by hand in a notebook or notebook - motor memory perfectly develops the brain and stimulates its work.

And if you have any doubts about determining the gender of a German noun, here you will always find a hint. Bookmark on this page and visit at any time!

There is no tree just in German... May be or ein Baum [ain baum] - one (any) tree, order Baum [dea baum] - that (same) tree.

In other words, before all nouns there is a service word that expresses its definiteness or indefiniteness - a definite or indefinite article. In the above example: ein Is the indefinite article, and der- definite article (masculine).

Different articles correspond to different genera:

Let's take a look at some examples:

Gibt es hier in der Nähe eine Bar?- Is there (one) bar nearby?

You used the indefinite article because you don't know what the bar is or if it exists at all. You will be answered:

Ja, ich kenne hier eine Bar. - Yes, I know (one) bar here.

This is, of course, a very specific bar. Why is the indefinite article used? The fact is that the indefinite article can mean not only some one(as in your question) but also one of(as in the answer). That is, it can express not only uncertainty, but also the belonging of a particular thing to a general concept: This is one of the bars.

Finally, you have already approached the bar and, surprised at its nondescriptness, exclaim:

Ist das eine Bar? - And this is a bar? Is this one of the bars?

To which your companion, without losing his composure, replies:

Ja, das ist eine Bar. - Yes, this is a bar, this is one of the bars.

He loves this bar and adds:

Die Bar ist gut. - This bar is good.

Here, as you can see, there is already a definite article.
So, if you simply name or characterize something (thereby raising the particular to the general), then you need to use the indefinite article:

Unser Präsident ist ein Mensch wie du und ich. - Our president is the same person as you and me.

Compare:

Das ist der Mensch. - This is the (same) person... (Which we have already talked about. Der- the definite article is masculine.)

Here you do not name, but indicate.

True, if you name your occupation, profession or nationality, then it is better to do without the article altogether:

Ich bin Geschäftsmann. - I'm a businessman(verbatim: business man).
Sie arbeitet als Krankenschwester. - She is a nurse(verbatim: as a nurse, as a nurse).
Ich bin Deutscher. - I'm German.

But:

Ich weiß, dass du ein Künstler bist. - I know that you are an artist (in a broad sense).

Here we mean not so much the occupation as the characteristic of a person, the correlation of the private with the general: you belong to the category of artists, you are one of them.

In addition, you can do without the article if we are talking about feelings, substances and materials, or simply about something general, indivisible and not amenable to counting (that is, about what is rarely talked about some one or the same):

Jeder Mensch braucht Liebe. - Every person needs love.
Die Tasche ist aus Leder. - This bag is made of leather.
Ich habe Durst. - I'm thirsty. Literally: I have a thirst(not one thirst and not that thirst, but just thirst).
Ich trinke Bier. - I drink beer.
Die Deutschen essen viel Schweinefleisch. - The Germans eat a lot of pork.
Wir haben Glück. - We were lucky (literally: we have happiness).
in Zukunft - in the future.

Compare, however:

Ich trinke ein Bier. - I will drink one (= one mug) beer.
Ich esse ein Schweinefleisch. - I will eat one portion of pork.
Ich trinke das Bier. - I drink (or drink) this beer.
Ich esse das Schweinefleisch. - I eat (or eat) this pork.

Here we are no longer dealing with articles, but with independent words, words with their own stress.

Sometimes the article is needed purely formally, to clarify the case:

Ich ziehe Wein dem Wasser vor. - I prefer wine to water.
Unter dem Schnee - under the snow.

With a definite article, the word can be used not only if it denotes something specific, but also if it has a generalizing meaning, that is, it denotes a set of specific things (general, but at the same time divisible, calculable):

Der Mensch ist, was er isst. - Man is what he eats.

The article may not be present when listing or in already established phrases and sayings:

mit Weib und Kind - with his wife and child (or children) (that is, the whole family).
in Familie und Beruf - in the family and in the profession (that is, at work).
Ende gut - alles gut. - The end - the crown of the case(verbatim: the end is good - everything is good).
Zeit ist Geld. - Time is money.

And also in newspaper headlines, announcements, telegrams, commands (for short):

Bankräuber nahm Kind als Geisel. - The bank robber took the child hostage.
Einfamilienhaus zu verkaufen. - Single-family house for sale.
Hände hoch! - Hands up!

The article is also omitted when naming different time periods in phrases such as:

Es ist Abend. - Evening(verbatim: it is evening).
Heute ist Mittwoch. - Today is Wednesday.

As a rule, the definite article is not needed before the names, as they themselves denote certain persons:

Auf Klaus ist Verlass. - You can rely on Klaus(verbatim: there is trust).

Quite often, in everyday spoken language, the article is nevertheless put, which somehow enlivens speech:

Weiß jemand, wo der Klaus ist? - Does anyone know where (this) Klaus is?

The article is placed before the surname in the plural, and also if the name has a definition:

Die Meyers sind eine glückliche Familie. - The Mayers are a happy family.
die kleine Susanne -little Susanna.
der große Goethe -the great Goethe.

As for cities and countries, they basically do without the article:

Österreich (Austria), Wien (Vienna) ...

Exceptions to this rule:

die Dominikanische Republik, die Mongolei, die Schweiz, die Slowakei, die Türkei, die Ukraine, die Zentralafrikanische Republik.
der Irak, der Iran, der Jemen, der Kongo, der Libanon, der Niger, der Sudan, der Tschad, der Vatikan

Articles (art.) Are official words that accompany German nouns (noun) and characterize their case, number and gender. Articles are undefined (unbestimmte Artikel) and definite (bestimmte Artikel).

Number	The only thing						Plural
Genus
Article	unspecified	def.	unspecified	def.	unspecified	def.	unspecified	def.
Nom.	eine	die	ein	das	ein	der	—	die
Gen.	einer	der	eines	des	eines	des	—	der
Dat.	einer	der	einem	dem	einem	dem	—	den
Akk.	eine	die	ein	das	einen	den	—	die

Certain art. are used in German in the following cases:

• with nouns that denote specific objects, states, phenomena or persons that were previously mentioned and, accordingly, known to the speaker, for example:

Vor ein paar Tagen habe ich einen interessanten Artikel über die bekanntesten Schwimmhallen der Welt gelesen. Der Artikel war mit zahlreichen Bildern versehen. - A few days ago I read a very interesting article about the most famous swimming pools in the world (first mention of the article). This article was accompanied by numerous photographs (specific, previously mentioned article).

• with nouns that are unique, special, unique, and with nouns characterized by superlative adjectives, for example:

Das höchste Gebäude in dieser Stadt ist das Rathaus. - The tallest structure (building) in this city is the town hall (a structure unique in its parameters).

• with noun names followed by ordinal numbers as a definition, e.g .:

Du schreibst schon den vierten Aktikel zu diesem langweiligen Thema. - You are already writing the fourth article on this boring topic.

• with nouns that name countries and cities and are used with related definitions, if they belong to the neuter gender, as well as with names that name countries of the feminine, masculine, or plural, for example:

Das moderne Budapest ist wirklich sehenswert. - Modern Budapest is really worth seeing. (If there was no definition for the word Budapest, it would be used without an article, like all cities of the neuter genus).

Die Mongolei gehört zu den Staaten, über die man wenig spricht. - Mongolia belongs to the states about which little is said. (Countries of the feminine gender are always used with the article).

• with noun, calling different calendar dates, for example:

Der Mittwoch ist der dritte Wochentag. Der Mai ist für uns der wichtigste Monat. - Wednesday is the third day of the week. May is the most important month for us.

• with nouns followed by a participle definition, e.g .:

Die Zigaretten, die dein Mann raucht, riechen nach Pflaumen. “The cigarettes your husband smokes smell like plums.

• before the names of people used to refer to the family as a whole, e.g .:

Am nächsten Mittwoch haben wir die Blumbergs zum Abendessen eingeladen. “We invited the Bloombergs to dinner next Wednesday.

Undefined German art. are used in the following cases:

• with nouns that name unknown, first-mentioned phenomena, objects, states, etc., for example:

Plötzlich sah Peter eine Kleinigkeit, die er früher nicht gemerkt hat. - Suddenly Peter saw one (some hitherto unknown) trifle, which he had not noticed before.

• with nouns that name objects, phenomena, etc., which are one of a number of similar ones, for example:

Der Chiemsee ist einer der zahlreichen bayerischen Seen... - Chiemsee is one of the many Bavarian lakes.

• with nouns involved in the comparison, e.g .:

Dein Kater sieht wie ein mittelgrosser Hund aus. - Your cat looks like a medium-sized dog.

• with nouns after the expression there is = es gibt and the verbs to need = brauchen; to have, to own = haben, e.g .:

In diesem Dorf gibt es nur eine grosse Strasse. “There is only one big street in this village.

The use of the zero article

Zero German art. are used in the following cases (in other words, they are omitted):

• before the names of people, for example:

Wir haben Kurt Wernike im Herbst 2005 kennengelernt. - We met Kurt Wernicke in the fall of 2005.

• before noun, which are defined by proper names, for example:

Er hat gestern Annas Schwester im Hafen getroffen. - Yesterday at the port he met Anna's sister.

• before nouns in titles of works, titles, announcements, for example:

Gebrauchtwagen in München - Used cars in Munich (rubric).

• in front of nouns that name the occupation, profession or nationality of the person, for example:

Seine Frau ist Russin. - His wife is Russian.

• before uncountable names and abstractions reflecting feelings, materials, substances, etc., for example:

Mein neuer Rundtisch wird unbedingt aus Holz sein. - My new round table will definitely be made of wood.

Zwiebelwurst und Schinken müssen immer in unserem Kühlschrank sein. - Onion sausage and bacon should always be present in our refrigerator.

• before n., calling countries and cities of the neuter, for example:

Olga fliegt nach Sydney am Wochenende. - Olga flies to Sydney this weekend.

The presence of the article (art.) Is a feature that distinguishes German from many others.

Art. - this is a service part of speech, which means:

• grammatical features of a noun (noun). Therefore, it takes place when any word is substantiated: leben - das Leben (to live - life); fünf - die Fünf (five - five);
• gender, case, number: der Lehrer (teacher), des Lehrers (teachers), die Lehrer (plural);
• indicates the meaning of certainty and uncertainty noun. in the sentence: Das ist ein Buch. Das Buch ist sehr interessant. - This is a book. The book is very interesting.

Distinguish between definite article (def. Art.) (Singular: der, die, das; plural: die) and indefinite art. (ein, eine, ein; no plural).

Def. art. in German it is used:

• before (trans.) noun, denoting something unique, unique: die Erde - Earth, der Mond - Moon, die UNO - UN;
• per. noun, denoting a specific object in a given situation: Monika saß auf der Couch. - Monica sat down on the sofa. Er wäscht sich die (seine) Hände, den Kopf. - He washes (his) hands, head. Sie wohnen in der Gartenstraße. - They live on Sadovaya Street.
• per. noun, denoting an object or person known to the interlocutors: Wie war der Konzert? - How was the concert? Gefällt Ihnen der Film? - Do you like the movie?
• per. noun, which are remembered in conversation or text: Ein Hund stand auf einmal vor meiner Tür. Der Hund war klein mit langen Ohren. - A dog suddenly appeared in front of my door. The dog was small with long ears.
• per. abstract concepts that are used for generalization: die Jugend - youth, die Heimat - Motherland, Das Leben kann so wunderschön sein! - Life can be so wonderful!
• per. a noun that is defined using an adjective or a subordinate clause: Wir mieten die Wohnung im ersten Stock. - We rent an apartment on the second floor. Sie hatte das Gefühl, krank zu sein. - She had a feeling that she was sick.
• before geographical names (names of seas, lakes, mountains, etc.) and before the names of some countries: die Alpen - Alps, der Bodensee - Bodensee, der Ural - Ural, das Europa - Europe, der Süden - South, das Afrika - Africa; Italien - Italy, Frankreich - France, Russland - Russia, but: der Iran - Iran, die Schweiz - Switzerland, die Ukraine - Ukraine, die Philippinen - Philippines and others.
• before some of their own names: der Marienplatz - Mariinsky Square, die Berliner Philharmoniker - Berlin Philharmonic.
• if the noun denotes the whole kind of given object or person: Die Rose ist eine Blume. - A rose is a flower. Der Mensch ist sterblich - Man is mortal. Watt hat die Dampfmaschine erfunden - Watt invented the steam engine.
• colloquially before names: Die Meiers wollen umziehen. - The Mayers want to move.

Def. art. in German it is also used for education:

• nouns from other parts of speech: das Spazierengehen - walk, die Mutigen - daredevils, das Lesen - reading;
• superlative comparison of adjectives: Tom ist der jüngste Schüler in unserer Klasse. - Tom is the youngest student in our class.

You can also substitute the definite article in German for the prepositions pro and je before a certain value or quantity: Der Stoff kostet zehn Euro der Meter. - The fabric costs ten Euros per meter. Er verkauft den Tomaten für zwei Euro das Pfund. - He sells tomatoes for two Euros a pound.