German - English Dictionary
/das/
Das is a German article and pronoun with multiple functions: it serves as the definite article 'the' for neuter nouns, and as a relative or demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that', 'which', 'who', or 'it'.
| # | Type | German | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | preposition | das per; each (time unit) | a |
| 2 | pronoun | das which | that |
| 3 | pronoun | das who (relative pronoun) | who |
| 4 | article | das article | the |
| 5 | pronoun | das nonstandard relative pronoun | what |
| 6 | pronoun | das | who, that, which |
| 7 | pronoun | das | this, that, it |
| 8 | pronoun | das | it (subject of an impersonal verb) |
Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.
The book is lying on the table.
Der Mann, das Auto und die Katze sind hier.
The man, the car, and the cat are here.
Das ist schön.
That is beautiful.
As an article, das agrees with neuter nouns in the nominative and accusative cases. As a relative pronoun, das can refer to both persons and things, though 'der' or 'die' are often preferred for persons. In impersonal constructions like 'Das regnet' (It's raining), das is a dummy subject.
Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Audio: Wikimedia Commons