der, di, dos & the Plurals
The three genders, the definite article table, and the main plural endings (-n, -s, -er).
Yiddish has three genders — masculine, feminine, and neuter — and two words for "the": der and di. The neuter word for "the" is dos. Learning which nouns take which article is one of the first steps in Yiddish grammar.
The three definite articles
| Gender | Article | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | דער (der) | דער מאַן | the man |
| feminine | די (di) | די פֿרוי | the woman |
| neuter | דאָס (dos) | דאָס קינד | the child |
💡 Memory trick: der/di/dos sounds like "the-ah / the-ee / the-os." Masculine = der, feminine = di, neuter = dos.
How to guess gender
There are no perfect rules, but these hints help:
| Pattern | Usually | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Male people / animals | masculine | דער טאַטע (der tate, father) |
| Female people / animals | feminine | די מוטער (di muter, mother) |
| -ung / -ung endings | feminine | די צייטונג (di tsaytung, newspaper) |
| -keit / -hayt endings | feminine | די מעגלעכקייט (di meglekhkeyt, possibility) |
| Diminutives in -l / -ele | neuter | דאָס מיידל (dos meydl, girl) |
| Infinitives as nouns | neuter | דאָס לערנען (dos lernen, learning) |
Indefinite article
The indefinite article is אַ (a, "a/an") before consonants, and אַן (an) before vowels, for all genders:
| Gender | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | אַ מאַן | a man |
| feminine | אַ פֿרוי | a woman |
| neuter | אַ קינד | a child |
⚠️ Note: There is no plural indefinite article. "Some" can be expressed with אַ פּאָר (a por) or just the bare plural.
Plural endings
Yiddish plurals are mostly regular, but there are several patterns:
| Ending | Example singular | Example plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| -n | דער טאָג → די טעג | tog → teg | day(s) — vowel change too |
| -n | די שטוב → די שטובן | shtub → shtubn | room(s) |
| -s | דער װאַגן → די װאַגנס | vagn → vagns | car(s) |
| -er | דאָס קינד → די קינדער | kind → kinder | child(ren) |
| -er + umlaut | דאָס בוך → די ביכער | bukh → bikher | book(s) |
| vowel change only | דער מאַן → די מענער | man → mener | man/men |
💡 Tip: The plural article is always די (di) for all genders.
Adjective agreement
Adjectives change form depending on whether the noun is definite or indefinite:
| Gender | Definite (after der/di/dos) | Indefinite (after a) | Example definite | Example indefinite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | -er | -er | דער גוטער מאַן | אַ גוטער מאַן |
| feminine | -e | -e | די גוטע פֿרוי | אַ גוטע פֿרוי |
| neuter | -e | (none) | דאָס גוטע קינד | אַ גוט קינד |
| plural | -e | -e | די גוטע מענטשן | — |
💡 Pattern: Before a definite article, adjectives usually end in -e (or -er for masculine). Before אַ, neuter adjectives take no ending; others match the definite form.
✅ Key takeaways
- Three genders: masculine (der), feminine (di), neuter (dos).
- Indefinite article is אַ for all genders.
- Plural article is always די.
- Common plural endings: -n, -s, -er.
- Adjectives agree with gender/number and change after definite vs indefinite articles.
✏️ Practice
- What is the feminine definite article?
- Give the plural of דאָס קינד.
- Which gender do diminutives in -l usually have?
- How does the adjective "good" change before a neuter indefinite noun?
- Translate: די גוטע מענטשן.
Answers
- די (di).
- די קינדער (di kinder).
- Neuter: דאָס מיידל (dos meydl).
- It takes no ending: אַ גוט קינד (a gut kind).
- "The good people."