When nouns have no article (A1) – German grammar

Some nouns have no article at all, for example a job after sein: Sie ist Ärztin.

Learn first:Definite and indefinite articles in the nominative

Overview of zero article contexts

Context	Rule	Example sentence	English translation
Professions and nationalities	No article after sein / werden	Er ist Lehrer.	He is a teacher.
Materials and uncountables	No article for general substances	Ich trinke Wasser.	I drink water.
Indefinite plurals	No plural equivalent of ein	Hier stehen Stühle.	There are chairs here.
Cities and most countries	No article with proper locations	Ich komme aus Spanien.	I come from Spain.

The main points

Jobs and nationalities after sein or werden: no article. Ich bin Arzt.
Food, drinks, materials in general: no article. Ich trinke Milch.
Several things in general: plural, no article. Hier sind Stühle.
Cities and most countries: no article. But: die Schweiz, die Türkei.
Adjective before a job: ein comes back. Er ist ein guter Arzt.

Part 1 of 4

When you use it

1
Jobs and nationalities
- Sie ist Ärztin in Berlin.She is a doctor in Berlin.
- Er wird bald Ingenieur.He will soon be an engineer.
After sein or werden, a job or nationality has no article. English says "an engineer"; German just says Ingenieur.
2
Things you can't count
- Ich trinke morgens Kaffee.I drink coffee in the morning.
- Wir brauchen Milch und Zucker.We need milk and sugar.
Food, drinks, materials and words like Zeit, used in general, take no article.
3
Several things, nothing specific
- Im Supermarkt kaufe ich Äpfel und Tomaten.At the supermarket I buy apples and tomatoes.
- Auf dem Tisch liegen Bücher.There are books on the table.
ein has no plural. For several things in general, use the plural noun alone.

The forms

Overview of zero article contexts

Four situations where the noun has no article.

Context	Rule	Example sentence	English translation
Professions and nationalities	No article after sein / werden	Er ist Lehrer.	He is a teacher.
Materials and uncountables	No article for general substances	Ich trinke Wasser.	I drink water.
Indefinite plurals	No plural equivalent of ein	Hier stehen Stühle.	There are chairs here.
Cities and most countries	No article with proper locations	Ich komme aus Spanien.	I come from Spain.

Part 2 of 4

Step by step

1
Check the type of word
Is it a job or nationality, something you can't count, a plural in general, or a city?
2
Leave out the article
Don't use der, die, das, ein or eine.
- Ich bin Student.I'm a student.
3
Check for an adjective
An adjective before a job or nationality brings ein back. Things you can't count and plurals stay without an article.
- Er ist ein guter Lehrer.He is a good teacher.
- Ich trinke kaltes Wasser.I drink cold water.

Part 3 of 4

Common mistakes

~~Ich bin ein Lehrer in Leipzig.~~
Ich bin Lehrer in Leipzig.
No article for a job after sein.
~~Ich trinke jeden Morgen den Kaffee. (speaking generally)~~
Ich trinke jeden Morgen Kaffee.
Coffee in general takes no article.
~~Er ist guter Lehrer.~~
Er ist ein guter Lehrer.
With an adjective, the job takes ein again.

Exceptions

Tap one to open it.

A few countries are feminine, masculine or plural. They take the article: die Schweiz, die Türkei, der Iran, die USA.
- Ich wohne in der Schweiz.I live in Switzerland.
- Ich komme aus der Türkei.I come from Turkey.
- Meine Schwester wohnt in den USA.My sister lives in the USA.
Add an adjective like gut, neu or nett, and ein comes back.
- Er ist ein netter Kollege.He is a nice colleague.

Don't mix it up

Definite article or zero article

der Kaffee is a specific coffee you both know. Kaffee alone means coffee in general.

Category	Example	When to use
Definite article (N01)	der Kaffee	Referring to a specific, known item
Zero article (N23)	Kaffee	Referring to professions, uncountables, or general plurals

Part 4 of 4

In real life

Sich im Kurs vorstellen (Introducing oneself in class)

Adult learners introduce themselves on the first day of a German course in Leipzig. · Tap EN for English.

Elena
Hallo! Ich heiße Elena. Ich bin Spanierin.
Elena
Ich arbeite als Designerin in Berlin.
David
Hallo Elena! Ich bin David. Ich komme aus Kanada und bin Ingenieur.
David
Morgens trinke ich am liebsten Kaffee.
Kursleiter
Willkommen im Kurs! Wir trinken hier in der Pause oft Tee und essen Kekse.

That's the whole topic.

Next topicNegation with kein

Overview of zero article contexts

The main points

When you use it

Jobs and nationalities

Things you can't count

Several things, nothing specific

The forms

Overview of zero article contexts

Step by step

Check the type of word

Leave out the article

Check for an adjective

Common mistakes

Exceptions

Don't mix it up

Definite article or zero article

In real life

Sources