determinerpronoun

diese

these · this

Dieses Wort zeigt auf etwas oder jemanden, das oder der nah ist oder schon genannt wurde.

Definition & meaning

The word "diese" is a demonstrative pronoun or determiner in German. It is used to point out or specify a particular person, object, or idea that is close to the speaker in terms of space, time, or context. Depending on the grammatical context, it translates to English as "this" or "these."

In the singular, "diese" refers to a specific feminine noun. In the plural, it refers to a group of people or things regardless of their gender.

Grammar & Word origin

Grammatically, "diese" is an inflected form of the demonstrative root "dies-." It follows the declension pattern of the definite article. The specific form "diese" is used in the following cases:

Nominative feminine singular (e.g., diese Frau — this woman)
Accusative feminine singular (e.g., Ich sehe diese Frau — I see this woman)
Nominative plural for all genders (e.g., diese Autos — these cars)
Accusative plural for all genders (e.g., Ich mag diese Bücher — I like these books)

The word originates from the Old High German "deser," which was formed by combining a demonstrative stem with a deictic particle to emphasize the specific nature of the object being pointed out.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms:

jene: While often used as an antonym to indicate distance, it is a fellow demonstrative used to distinguish between two things.
die: In spoken German, the definite article is frequently used as a demonstrative pronoun instead of "diese."
solche: Meaning "such" or "those kinds of," used when referring to a type rather than a specific instance.

Antonyms:

jene: This functions as the "distant" counterpart, meaning "that" or "those" (referring to things further away).
manche: Meaning "some" or "several," used when the reference is indefinite rather than specific.