Demonstrative Pronouns: dieser, jener, der
When you want to point at something and say this one or that one, German gives you three main tools: dieser (this), jener (that), and the stressed definite article der/die/das. Mastering these lets you sound precise and natural instead of relying on vague gestures.
The challenge is that all three change their endings based on gender, case, and number — just like adjectives. The good news: once you learn the pattern for dieser, the rest follows immediately, and you will start spotting these forms everywhere in real German.
1. dieser — this / these
Dieser is the go-to demonstrative for something nearby. It must agree with the noun it refers to in gender, case, and number. The endings closely mirror those of the definite article.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | dieser | diese | dieses | diese |
| Accusative | diesen | diese | dieses | diese |
| Dative | diesem | dieser | diesem | diesen |
| Genitive | dieses | dieser | dieses | dieser |
Memory trick: if you know der / die / das / die, you already know most endings — just swap the article stem for dies-.
2. jener — that / those
Jener points to something farther away — roughly that one over there. It uses exactly the same endings as dieser, only with the stem jen-.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | jener | jene | jenes | jene |
| Accusative | jenen | jene | jenes | jene |
| Dative | jenem | jener | jenem | jenen |
| Genitive | jenes | jener | jenes | jener |
Real-world note: In everyday spoken German, jener sounds bookish. Native speakers usually say der/die/das da (that one there) or point and use the stressed article. You will encounter jener mainly in writing and formal contexts.
3. der / die / das as demonstrative pronouns
When the definite article der/die/das is stressed in speech, it becomes a demonstrative pronoun meaning that one or this one here. This is extremely common in conversation.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die | das | die |
| Accusative | den | die | das | die |
| Dative | dem | der | dem | denen |
| Genitive | dessen | deren | dessen | deren |
Two forms differ from the plain article and signal a demonstrative: the dative plural is denen (not den), and the genitive forms are dessen / deren (not des / der). These special forms prevent confusion with the regular article.
Example: Kennst du den Mann dort? — Den kenne ich nicht. (Do you know that man? — I don't know him / that one.)
📖 Examples
Dieser Mann ist mein Vater.
This man is my father.
Diese Tasche gehört mir.
This bag belongs to me.
Dieses Restaurant ist wirklich gut.
This restaurant is really good.
Diese Schuhe sind zu klein.
These shoes are too small.
Jenes Gebäude dort ist das Rathaus.
That building over there is the town hall.
Den kenne ich nicht.
I don't know him / that one.
Die ist wirklich sehr nett.
She / That one is really very nice.
Denen kann ich leider nicht helfen.
I unfortunately can't help them / those ones.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Diese Mann ist nett.Dieser Mann ist nett.
"Mann" is masculine (der Mann). In the nominative case, masculine demonstratives take the ending **-er**, not **-e**. Only feminine and plural use **-e** in the nominative.
Ich sehe diesen Frau.Ich sehe diese Frau.
"Frau" is feminine. In the accusative, only the masculine form takes **-en**. Feminine accusative stays **diese**, identical to the nominative.
Ich helfe diesem Kinder.Ich helfe diesen Kindern.
"Kinder" is plural. The dative plural of **dieser** is **diesen**, and the noun also gets an **-n** ending in the dative plural: *Kindern*.
Das ist der Buch, den ich lese.Das ist das Buch, das ich lese.
"Buch" is neuter (das Buch). Do not confuse the masculine demonstrative pronoun *der* with the neuter article. Both the pronoun and the relative pronoun should be **das** here.
✏️ Exercises
Test your understanding. Click an option or type your answer, then check.
Which form correctly completes this sentence? ___ Hund ist sehr groß. (der Hund — nominative)
Which form correctly completes this sentence? Ich mag ___ Film sehr. (der Film — accusative)
Which form correctly completes this sentence? ___ Lehrerin ist sehr streng. (die Lehrerin — nominative)
A friend points to a man and asks if you know him. You reply: ___ kenne ich gut. (stressed pronoun, accusative masculine)
Which form correctly completes this sentence? Mit ___ Kind spiele ich oft. (das Kind — dative)
In everyday spoken German, how would you most naturally say 'that one over there' while pointing to a distant feminine noun (die Tasche)?
___ (dieser) Frau gehört das rote Auto. (dative feminine)
Ich nehme ___ (jener) Kuchen dort drüben. (accusative masculine)
___ (dieser) Kinder spielen gerade im Park. (nominative plural)
Hast du ___ (dieser) alten Mann schon gesehen? (accusative masculine)