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German article · CEFR A1

ein

Meaning in English: a, an; one

Rank 15 of 5,000articleLevel A16 forms in the list
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Example

Ich hätte gern ein Glas Wasser.

I'd like a glass of water.

Forms of ein in the top 5,000

These forms of ein are in the top 5,000 as well — German adds endings for gender, case and number:

eine#17
a, an (feminine); oneA1

Wir suchen eine größere Wohnung.
We are looking for a bigger flat.

einer#38
a (dat./gen. fem.); oneA1

Er wohnt in einer ruhigen Straße.
He lives in a quiet street.

einen#39
a (accusative, masculine)A1

Ich brauche einen neuen Laptop.
I need a new laptop.

einem#42
a (dative, masc./neut.)A1

Sie arbeitet bei einem großen Verlag.
She works at a big publishing house.

eines#86
a, one (genitive; neuter)A2

Das ist das Auto eines Freundes.
This is a friend's car.

How common is ein?

ein is number 15 of the 5,000 most common German words. In the texts the list is counted from it appears 7,555 times per million words — about once every 130 words.

Know every word down to this one and you recognise about 23% of the words in an ordinary German text. A1 means a beginner word, usually met in the first weeks of learning.

Next to it in the frequency list

  1. 11imin the (in + dem)
  2. 12istis
  3. 13aufon, onto; open
  4. 14sieshe, they; her, them
  5. 15eina, an; one
  6. 16sichoneself, himself, herself, themselves
  7. 17einea, an (feminine); one
  8. 18esit
  9. 19desof the (genitive, masc./neut.)

In these word lists

Translations, levels and examples were written with AI help and are awaiting review by a native speaker — how the list was made.