Using Der und Die with names (Specific Languages) Language Learning Forum

Using Der und Die with names
Tags: Names \| German
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Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages

12 messages over 2 pages: 1 2

BaronBill
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Message 9 of 12

03 January 2014 at 4:44am | IP Logged

Tollpatchig wrote:

The definite article also seems to be used as a replacement for a name or for a person. For example, I asked a friend of mine: "Wo ist dein Sohn?" and he answered me "Der ist (an) Judo." (I don't remember the exact prep. but he was at his Judo class.) Is that another grammatical use of the article or is that more of a colloquial thing?

I think This Thread discusses that topic pretty well.
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Medulin
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Message 10 of 12

03 January 2014 at 9:45pm | IP Logged

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beano
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Message 11 of 12

05 January 2014 at 3:58pm | IP Logged

I'm just back from 2 weeks in Brandenburg living among native German speakers. I heard lots of people
insert der or die before people's names.

Also, it is very common for people to use der/die/das as pronouns in preference to er/sie/es. Der can change
to den and dem where appropriate.

Wo ist John?
Der ist in der Garage.

Wer ist John? Den kenn ich nicht.

Wie gehts John?
Dem gehts nicht gut.
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Doitsujin
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Message 12 of 12

05 January 2014 at 5:49pm | IP Logged

beano wrote:

I'm just back from 2 weeks in Brandenburg living among native German speakers. I heard lots of people insert der or die before people's names.

Not everyone you've met in Brandenburg is necessarily a Brandenburger and there's also the possibility of interference through close personal contact with speakers who do use an article before names.

beano wrote:

Also, it is very common for people to use der/die/das as pronouns in preference to er/sie/es. Der can change to den and dem where appropriate.

That's the grammatically correct usage.

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