German Demonstrative Pronouns (Demonstrativpronomen)

German Grammar

German Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns (Demonstrativpronomen) replace nouns to emphasize or distinguish specific items. German has dieser/jener (this/that), der/die/das used for emphasis, and derjenige/derselbe, all declining across four cases.

Examples of demonstrative pronouns replacing nouns:

• Ich sehe den Mann. → Ich sehe den. (I see the man. → I see him/that one.)
• Kennst du diese Frau? → Kennst du diese? (Do you know this woman? → Do you know this one?)

Forms and Declension

The demonstrative pronouns dieser (this) and jener (that) decline with the same endings, so this table only shows dieser:

Dieser - This

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

Examples with dieser:

• Welches Buch möchtest du? – Dieses hier. (Which book do you want? – This one here.)
• Welche Tasche ist deine? – Diese da. (Which bag is yours? – This one there.)
• Mit welchem Auto fahrt ihr? – Mit diesem. (Which car are you driving? – With this one.)
• Welchen Mann meinst du? – Diesen. (Which man do you mean? – This one there.)

Der/Die/Das as Demonstrative Pronouns

The definite articles der, die, das can function as demonstrative pronouns when stressed in speech. They have special forms in the genitive case:

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

Emphasis examples (stressed in speech):

• Wer ist der Mann dort? – Den kenne ich nicht. (Who is that man there? – I don't know him.)
• Wie findest du die neue Kollegin? – Die ist sehr nett! (What do you think of the new colleague? – She is very nice!)

Derjenige and Derselbe

Derjenige (the one) and derselbe (the same) are compound demonstratives. The first part declines like the definite article, and the second part takes weak adjective endings:

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	derjenige	diejenige	dasjenige	diejenigen
Accusative	denjenigen	diejenige	dasjenige	diejenigen
Dative	demjenigen	derjenigen	demjenigen	denjenigen
Genitive	desjenigen	derjenigen	desjenigen	derjenigen

Derselbe follows the same pattern:

Examples with derjenige and derselbe:

• Derjenige, der das getan hat, muss bestraft werden. (The one who did this must be punished.)
• Ich habe dasselbe Problem. (I have the same problem.)
• Sie trägt immer dieselben Schuhe. (She always wears the same shoes.)

Special Cases & Usage

Distance Distinction

Dieser refers to something closer (in space, time, or context), while jener refers to something farther away:

Distance examples:

• Dieses Buch hier ist interessant, jenes dort langweilig. (This book here is interesting, that one there is boring.)
• Diese Woche bin ich beschäftigt. (This week I'm busy.)
• In jener Zeit war alles anders. (In that time everything was different.)

Modern Usage

In modern spoken German, jener is rarely used. Instead, speakers prefer der/die/das + da or dort:

Modern alternatives to jener:

• Formal: Jenes Auto gefällt mir. → Informal: Das Auto da gefällt mir. (That car (there) pleases me.)
• Formal: Jene Frau kenne ich. → Informal: Die Frau dort kenne ich. (I know that woman (there).)

Emphasis and Word Order

Demonstrative pronouns are strongly stressed and often appear in position 1 of the sentence for emphasis:

Emphasis through position and stress:

• Normal: Der Mann gibt der Frau das Buch. (The man gives the woman the book.)
• Emphasized: Der gibt der Frau das Buch. (He (that man) gives the woman the book.)
• Emphasized: Die bekommt das Buch. (She (that woman) receives the book.)