article
the
A1
Definite neuter article 'das' used for neuter singular nouns (nominative and accusative). Declension: singular dative dem, genitive des, accusative/nominative das; plural forms differ. It marks neuter gender; also commonly used as pronoun/demonstrative 'that/it'. No irregular declension but depends on case and number.
Examples
Ich habe das Buch.
I have the book.
Das Dokument, das gestern eingereicht wurde, wurde von der Behörde geprüft, nachdem die Frist abgelaufen war.
The document that was submitted yesterday was examined by the authority after the deadline had passed.
Details
Mnemonics
Imagine a small box labeled 'das' holding a single neuter object — the little box = neuter 'the'.
Sounds like 'dahs' — think 'the' for neuter nouns.
Associate the 's' at the end of 'das' with 's' in 'small' to remember it's used with many neuter nouns (das Buch, das Kind).
Notes
Das is the definite article used for neuter singular nouns. It can also appear as a demonstrative pronoun ('das ist...'). For feminine and masculine nouns the definite articles are different (die, der).