B1 → Grammar · Lesson 11 of 23

German Demonstrative Pronouns and More Indefinite Pronouns

Demonstrativ- & Indefinitpronomen

Before this lesson: make sure you've covered Relative Clauses in All Three Cases first.

Demonstrative pronouns point something out for emphasis — "this one, that one" — and often look exactly like der/die/das used more forcefully. You'll also round out your indefinite pronouns from A2 with 'einer/eine/eins' (one of them) and 'keiner' (none of them), which replace a noun you've already mentioned.

Types you should know

dieser / diese / dieses

this / these — pointing something out

der / die / das (betont)

that one — stressed, emphatic use

einer / eine / eins

one (of them) — replacing a noun

keiner / keine / keins

none (of them)

See it in action

German	English
Dieses Buch ist besser als jenes.	This book is better than that one.
Welchen Pullover möchtest du? – Diesen hier.	Which sweater would you like? – This one here.
Hast du einen Stift? – Ja, hier ist einer.	Do you have a pen? – Yes, here's one.
Ich habe keine Fragen mehr. – Ich auch keine.	I have no more questions. – Me neither.

Memory trick: 'einer/eine/eins' and 'keiner/keine/keins' follow the exact same endings as 'dieser' — once you know one set, you know them all.

⚠ Common mistake: Don't repeat the noun after einer/keiner — "einer Stift" is wrong; the pronoun REPLACES the noun entirely: just "einer".

🎯 Quick check

'Brauchst du einen Kugelschreiber? Ja, gib mir bitte ___.' Which word replaces 'Kugelschreiber'?

German Demonstrative Pronouns and More Indefinite Pronouns

Types you should know

See it in action

🎯 Quick check

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