Demonstrative Pronouns For Intermediate learners

Demonstrative Pronouns in German grammar

What is a Demonstrative Pronoun?

A demonstrative pronoun replaces a noun in a sentence and points to a person or thing and specifies what or who you are exactly talking about. In English, you would say: "This is my book." In order to specify that you are talking about "this" specific book, not the other one. It is also used to indicate whether a noun is near or far.

The German Demonstrative Pronouns

The most common demonstrative pronouns in German are closely related to the definite article (Bestimmter Artikel). This is why many of them look identical to the articles: der, die, das.

	Nom	Acc	Dat
Masculine	der	den	dem
Neuter	das	das	dem
Feminine	die	die	der
Plural	die	die	denen

This pronoun is used when you want to physically point at something, like pointing to something with your finger. It can also be used to refer to something in a certain context. It usually translates to "that one there".

Example

Der ist schön!

That one is beautiful!

Ich kenne den.

I know that one.

Mit dem kann ich arbeiten.

I can work with that one.

Demonstrative Pronouns vs. Articles

Don't mistake demonstrative pronouns (like der, die, das, etc.) with articles. Here is a quick way to distinguish these two in this context:
If it comes before a noun, then it's called an article. However, if it stands alone and replaces a noun, that means it's a pronoun.

Example

Der ist mein Vater.

This/that one is my father.

Der: demonstrative pronoun

Der Mann ist mein Vater.

That/this man is my father.

Der: demonstrative article

Emphasis and Pronouns

These pronouns are usually placed at the beginning of a sentence (also known as position 1). Being in position 1 adds to the level of emphasis of the pronoun. It is also possible for demonstrative pronouns to be placed in the middle of the sentence, but it is less common.

Example

Dieser ist neu.

This one is new.

Other Demonstrative Pronouns

Here is a list of other German demonstrative pronouns explained in this section:

Dieser

Derjenige

Derselbe

Dieser

The table below shows demonstrative pronouns that emphasize on proximity and closeness:

	Nov	Acc	Dat
Masculine	dieser	diesen	diesem
Neuter	dieses	dieses	diesem
Feminine	diese	diese	dieser
Plural	diese	diese	diesen

This pronoun is used when you want to refer to the nearness in space or specification.

Example

"Welches Buch möchtest du lesen?" "Dieses."

"Which book do you want to read?" "This one."

Siehst du die Schlüssel hier? Diese sind meine.

Do you see the keys here? These are mine.

Derjenige

The table below shows demonstrative pronouns that point to people or things:

	Nom	Acc	Dat
masculine	derjenige	denjenigen	demjenigen
Neuter	dasjenige	dasjenige	demjenigen
Feminine	diejenige	diejenige	derjenigen
Plural	diejenigen	diejenigen	denjenigen

This type of demonstrative pronoun is followed by a relative clause and is used to refer to a specific noun that is defined by that relative clause. It is usually translated as "The one who/that".

Example

Ich meine diejenige, die dort steht.

I mean the one standing over there.