Memory Tools
We have prepared different methods to help you master the articles quickly and effectively. These will appear regularly throughout the lessons. Here’s an overview of what you can expect.
Colors
Colors appear on the buttons after you answer. Try not to ignore them—make associations between the word and its color. This will help you remember the article more quickly. There are 3 colors, each corresponding to one of the 3 German articles:
- Blue means "der" (masculine)
- Rose means "die" (feminine)
- Green means "das" (neuter)
Graphics
Graphics also use the same set of colors to help you memorize the articles. They make the association easier by visually representing the word and its article color.
Audio Cues for Memorization
To reinforce the learning process, we use audio cues. Each noun is pronounced in a voice that matches its gender:
- A masculine voice represents der,
- A feminine voice represents die,
- A child's voice represents das.
Hearing the correct article repeatedly in a distinctive voice strengthens your ability to remember it.
Rules
You’ll find various rules to help you guess the correct German article based on word endings or categories. We've selected the most relevant and consistent rules to help you learn the 1,000 most frequent German words.
Throughout the course, you will see how these rules are applied to specific words. If you'd like to review all the rules at once, visit another part of the documentation: Rules for Guessing the Article.
Prioritized List of 1,000 Most Frequent Words
Last but not least, the words in the course are sorted by frequency of usage. Learning these words will help you find the correct article almost every time.
What about the less common words? With the help of the rules you'll learn along the way, and since many less common nouns are compound nouns, you’ll be able to determine the correct article for many words not included in the course. And even if you make a mistake from time to time, that's okay - even native German speakers sometimes do!