What are Demonstrative Adjectives?
Demonstrative adjectives (dieser, jener, solcher) tell you which specific noun you're talking about — 'this student' vs 'that student'. They change form depending on case, number and gender.
Demonstrative adjectives are dieser, jener and solcher — they point to a specific noun and agree with it in case, number and gender (e.g. dieser Mann, diese Frau, dieses Kind).
- •Near speaker
- •'this one here'
- •Used more often
- •Far from speaker
- •'that one there'
- •Less common
Step-by-step worked examples
Fill in: ___ Mann ist alt. (this man)
Gender: Mann = masculine Case: nominative (subject) Form: dieser Answer: Dieser Mann ist alt.
Complete: Ich mag ___ Frau nicht. (that woman)
Gender: Frau = feminine Case: accusative (object) Form: jene Answer: Ich mag jene Frau nicht.
Choose: ___ Kinder spielen laut. (these children)
Gender: Kinder = neuter plural Case: nominative Form: diese Answer: Diese Kinder spielen laut.
Flashcards
Quick quiz
Q1.Dieser, jene, solche — they are…
Q2.Which is correct? '___ Frau ist Ärztin.'
Q3.'Ich sehe diesen Mann' — this is…
Q4.Choose: '___ Buch ist interessant.'
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Common mistakes
Using dieser the same form for all genders/cases. — Correct: Demonstrative adjectives decline: dieser, diese, dieses, diesen, etc.
Saying jener is as common as dieser. — Correct: dieser is much more common in everyday speech.
Forgetting that solcher also declines. — Correct: solcher declines like other demonstratives.
Confusing dieser (demonstrative) with the definite article. — Correct: They're similar, but demonstratives emphasize 'that specific one'.
FAQ
What are demonstrative adjectives in German?
Words like dieser (this), jener (that), solcher (such) that point to a specific noun.
How do demonstrative adjectives decline?
They follow the same pattern as the definite article: dieser, diese, dieses, diesen, etc. depending on case, gender and number.
When do you use jener instead of dieser?
jener points to something far away; dieser is near. But dieser is used far more often in modern German.
Can you use a demonstrative without a noun?
Yes, but then it's a demonstrative pronoun, not an adjective — e.g. 'Ich nehme diesen' (I take this one).