TOPIC · Nouns (Nomen)

When does a noun not take an article?

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After this lesson you can recognize and correctly use the most common situations where a German noun appears without any article (Nullartikel).

In this lesson you learn when a German noun can appear without any article – this is called the Nullartikel. You will see the most frequent patterns and example sentences you can use right away.

1What is the Nullartikel?

Normally a noun takes a definite article (der, die, das) or an indefinite article (ein, eine). If there is no article at all, we call this Nullartikel:

Ich trinke Wasser. (I drink water, in general)
Ich trinke das Wasser. (I drink the water, a specific water)

2Plural without article (general or nonspecific)

In the plural, you often have no article when you speak in general or when it is not important which exact items you mean.

Example	Meaning
Ich mag Äpfel.	I like apples (apples in general)
Auf dem Tisch liegen Bücher.	There are books on the table (some books, not specified)
Das sind Autos.	Those are cars (just stating what they are)

If the plural is specific, you use the article:

Die Äpfel auf dem Tisch sind alt. (those particular apples)
Die Bücher in der Tasche sind neu.

3Proper names: people, cities, countries

a) Personal names

Names of people normally appear without an article:

Example	Meaning
Ich treffe Maria.	I am meeting Maria
Er ruft Peter an.	He is calling Peter

With an adjective you often add an article, especially when you evaluate or distinguish:

Example	Meaning
Ich besuche die nette Maria.	I am visiting the nice Maria
Das ist der kluge Peter.	That is the clever Peter

b) Cities, countries, continents

Names of cities, many countries and continents usually have no article:

Example	Meaning
Ich wohne in Berlin.	I live in Berlin
Frankreich ist schön.	France is beautiful
Europa ist groß.	Europe is large

With an adjective or special emphasis an article can appear:

Example	Meaning
Das romantische Paris ist traumhaft.	Romantic Paris is dreamy
Die schöne Schweiz hat viel zu bieten.	Beautiful Switzerland has a lot to offer

Be careful: some countries always take an article, e.g. die Schweiz, die Türkei, die USA, der Irak.

4Nationalities and languages

Names of languages and nationalities used as adjectives normally have no article:

Example	Meaning
Sie spricht Deutsch.	She speaks German
Er lernt Spanisch.	He is learning Spanish
Er ist deutsch.	He is German

As nouns, nationalities often have an article, but in some patterns you can see a kind of Nullartikel:

Er ist ein Deutscher. / Er ist Deutscher. – the form without article is more formal/written.

5Jobs after „sein“ and „werden“

After sein and werden, job titles usually appear without an article when they just describe a function:

Example	Meaning
Sie ist Ärztin.	She is a doctor
Er ist Lehrer.	He is a teacher
Ich arbeite als Grafikdesigner.	I work as a graphic designer

If you want to highlight a particular person, you use an article:

Sie ist die Ärztin, die mich operiert hat. (the specific doctor)

6Quantities, measures and materials

a) Quantities and measures

After numbers and measurement words, the noun often has no article:

Example	Meaning
Ich hätte gern 200 Gramm Käse.	I would like 200 grams of cheese
Wir brauchen drei Flaschen Wasser.	We need three bottles of water

b) Materials and substances

Materials and substances are used without article when you speak in general:

Example	Meaning
Der Tisch ist aus Holz.	The table is made of wood
Papier ist teuer geworden.	Paper has become expensive

With a specific reference, you use the article:

Example	Meaning
Das Wasser im Glas ist kalt.	The water in the glass is cold
Das Papier auf dem Tisch ist leer.	The paper on the table is blank

7Quick checklist

Typical contexts for Nullartikel:

plural, general: Kinder spielen im Park. (children in general)
proper names: Anna wohnt in Wien.
languages: Wir sprechen Deutsch.
jobs after sein/werden: Er ist Koch.
quantity and material: 500 Gramm Reis, Gold ist teuer.