Deutsche Grammatik

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Case - the bulk list

Declension of gender: Der, die, das

Der Genus - die Genera

Let's take a closer look at some nouns. The following list you have to learn very well.

Every noun has got only one fixed determiner. "Tag" (day) e.g. the determiner "der". In German determiner is called "der Artikel". This "Artikel" is also called Genus.

If we say that a word has got a specific "Artikel", we refer to the determiner of the subject case (Nominativ) in the singular. The "Nominativ" means nominative. That is the term we find in dictionaries, e.g. "Tag; der Tag; m.; Genitiv: des Tages; Nom. Plural: die Tage". This case we use to communicate the existence of something: "Der Vater liest seine Zeitschrift." Here's the father. He's reading the magazine.

But we are scientists here. And because this is so important, we want to look at it completely. Being exact, we find that each noun is connected to not only one determiner, but one group. The three groups are "der, die, das". The first group we are going to cover is "der".

Die 1. Gruppe (1. group) "der":

der	Nominativ	Singular
den	Akkusativ	Singular
dem	Dativ	Singular
des	Genitiv	Singular

die	Nominativ	Plural
die	Akkusativ	Plural
den	Dativ	Plural
der	Genitiv	Plural

Kasus (case) von "Tag":

Tag	Nominativ	Singular
Tag	Akkusativ	Singular
Tag	Dativ	Singular
Tages	Genitiv	Singular

Tage	Nominativ	Plural
Tage	Akkusativ	Plural
Tagen	Dativ	Plural
Tage	Genitiv	Plural

We now mark the noun with the group and get "der Tag".

der Tag	Nominativ	Singular
den Tag	Akkusativ	Singular
dem Tag	Dativ	Singular
des Tages	Genitiv	Singular

die Tage	Nominativ	Plural
die Tage	Akkusativ	Plural
den Tagen	Dativ	Plural
der Tage	Genitiv	Plural

2. Gruppe (2. group) "die":

die	Nominativ	Singular
die	Akkusativ	Singular
der	Dativ	Singular
der	Genitiv	Singular

die	Nominativ	Plural
die	Akkusativ	Plural
den	Dativ	Plural
der	Genitiv	Plural

Beispiel: "Frau" (woman):

Frau	Nominativ	Singular
Frau	Akkusativ	Singular
Frau	Dativ	Singular
Frau	Genitiv	Singular

Frauen	Nominativ	Plural
Frauen	Akkusativ	Plural
Frauen	Dativ	Plural
Frauen	Genitiv	Plural

We now mark the noun with the group "die" and get "die Frau".

die Frau	Nominativ	Singular
die Frau	Akkusativ	Singular
der Frau	Dativ	Singular
der Frau	Genitiv	Singular

die Frauen	Nominativ	Plural
die Frauen	Akkusativ	Plural
den Frauen	Dativ	Plural
der Frauen	Genitiv	Plural

You find, that Genitiv Singular of die Frau resembles Nominativ Singular of der Tag : der Frau and der Tag.

Look closely, der Tag is Nominativ and der Frau Genitiv. They look the same, but they are not of the same case. Why? Because Frau has always got the group die attached. In this group der is never Nominativ, but Dativ Singular or Genitiv Singular or Genitiv Plural.

3. Gruppe "das":

das	Nominativ	Singular
das	Akkusativ	Singular
dem	Dativ	Singular
des	Genitiv	Singular

die	Nominativ	Plural
die	Akkusativ	Plural
den	Dativ	Plural
der	Genitiv	Plural

Beispiel: "Auto" (car):

Auto	Nominativ	Singular
Auto	Akkusativ	Singular
Auto	Dativ	Singular
Autos	Genitiv	Singular

Autos	Nominativ	Plural
Autos	Akkusativ	Plural
Autos	Dativ	Plural
Autos	Genitiv	Plural

We now mark the noun with the group "das" and get "das Auto".

das Auto	Nominativ	Singular
das Auto	Akkusativ	Singular
dem Auto	Dativ	Singular
des Autos	Genitiv	Singular

die Autos	Nominativ	Plural
die Autos	Akkusativ	Plural
den Autos	Dativ	Plural
der Autos	Genitiv	Plural

Did you notice that the determiners of the plural have got the same forms in all three groups?

All cases of the main determiner or Artikel (for learning purposes)

Singular:

Nominativ	der	die	das
Akkusativ	den	die	das
Dativ	dem	der	dem
Genitiv	des	der	des

Plural:

Nominativ	die	die	die
Akkusativ	die	die	die
Dativ	den	den	den
Genitiv	der	der	der

We find that the three groups (der, die, das) are identical in the plural. The Singular forms you will have to all learn. You will find that der Dativ and der Genitiv have the same forms in group 2. The singlar forms of group 1 (der) are different in all cases (der, den, dem, des).

A different word for "group of determiners" is Genus. This word is used in school and refers to the three Genera männlich, weiblich, sächlich (masculine, feminine, neuter) (der, die, das). In German gender is grammatical, so even things will have female or male gender, e.g. der Weg (the path), die Tür (the door).

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