eins vs eines vs ein
eins, zwei, drei. Ich habe ein Buch. Er hat auch eins. Sie wird eines Tages eins haben. Meine Schwester hat eine Eins in Mathe.
Seriously, German?
Sometimes I think this language is simply designed to confuse people. Eins? Eines? Eine? Eine Eins? Huh?
Today, we're diving into a topic that often confuses my students in German 1 and 2: the difference between "eins" and "eines." So, grab your notebooks and let's unravel this linguistic mystery together.
The Basics: Definitions and Contexts
Both "eins" and "eines" translate to "one". The usage varies on context.
"Eins" is the cardinal number, which means it is the number we use when counting or stating a quantity.
“ein” is an article. It is used to say “a” or “one” followed by a noun.
Sometimes this article is used as a kind of pronoun, which means it does not have a noun behind it.
The endings on “ein” depend on a variety of factors, such as the case & gender of noun that follows.
If there is a noun behind the ein-word, use the following endings.
If no noun is present, this version of the chart is used.
The differences show up in the nominative & accusative cases. Masculine nouns use einer in the nominative case, if there is no noun (meaning we are simply saying "one" and not "a thing"). Neuter nouns in the nominative and accusative cases use eins when there is no noun behind the ein-word.
All of this means there are 4 places to use “eines” and 2 for “eins”. Masculine or neuter in the genitive case with or without a noun all use “eines” (total 4) and neuter nominative or accusative without a noun use “eins” (total 2).
When to use “eins”
Wie spät ist es? Es ist um eins. -
What time is it? It is one.
This is used as a cardinal number, which is why we say "eins". Be careful, however, as you can also say "Es ist ein Uhr.", which does not get the S.
Wie viele Pferde hast du? Ich habe eins. -
How many horses do you have? I have one.
This refers back to the neuter noun “Pferd”, but doesn’t have the noun there.
Wer braucht das Arbeitsblatt? Ich habe schon eins. -
Who needs the worksheet? I already have one.
This refers back to the neuter noun “Arbeitsblatt”, but doesn’t have the noun there.
Sie hat fast immer eine Eins in der Schule. -
She almost always has a one in school.
In the German grading scale a 1 is a very good grade similar to an American A and bigger numbers are worse with a 2 being similar to a B. Both 5 and 6 are considered failing grades.
In this sentence we used used the number one as a noun. This is still a cardinal number.
When to use “eines”
Das ist für die Entwicklung eines Kindes sehr wichtig. -
That is very important for the development of a child.
This uses the genitive case with a neuter noun showing possession. Therefore we use "eines".
Eines Tages kommt ein Prinz und rettet Rapunzel. -
One day a prince comes and rescues Rapunzel.
This uses the genitive case with a masculine noun for indefinite time. This also requires "eines".
When to use “ein”
Ein Mann/Eine Frau ist ins Zimmer gekommen. -
A man came into the room.
This shows the nominative case followed by a masculine noun. This does not require an ending at all on "ein".
Ein Pferd gehört nicht im Aufzug. -
A horse does not belong in an elevator.
This uses the nominative case followed by a neuter noun. Again, no ending is needed.
Ich kaufe morgen ein neues Bett. -
I am buying a new bed tomorrow.
This uses the accusative case, but because there is a neuter noun, we still do not need an ending.
I hope this clears up when to use eins, eines and ein. If you want to practice what you learned in today’s lesson, you can get worksheets and other extra materials for every lesson I upload by joining the Deutschlerner Club.
Shallow German Deep Dives
I hope this sheds some light on this little grammar thing. This lesson is a part of a series called "Shallow German Deep Dives" in which I go into deep detail with a topic that on the surface seems pretty small. You can find other lessons in this series linked below.
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