Why are there three words for the in German?

There aren't actually three words for "the" in German, but rather three different definite articles used depending on the gender and case of the noun they modify.

Here's a breakdown:

* Der: Masculine singular nominative and accusative case (e.g., der Mann - the man)

* Die: Feminine singular nominative and accusative case (e.g., die Frau - the woman)

* Das: Neuter singular nominative and accusative case (e.g., das Haus - the house)

The plural form of "the" is die, regardless of the noun's gender (e.g., die Männer - the men, die Frauen - the women, die Häuser - the houses).

The articles change depending on the case of the noun, which is how German grammar shows the role of the noun in the sentence. Here are some examples:

* Nominative: Subject of the sentence (der Mann *sits* on the chair)

* Accusative: Direct object of the verb (He sees *the woman*)

* Dative: Indirect object of the verb (He gives the book *to the man*)

* Genitive: Possessive case (The book *of the woman*)

So, while it might seem like there are three words for "the", it's actually just one word with different forms to reflect the grammatical nuances of the German language.