das Dorf
village
Full 4-Case Declension Table
Switch determiner types to inspect how articles and noun endings change together.
Definite (der / die / das): Used for specific, already known, or general-category nouns.
| Case (Fall) | Question | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
Nominative Nominativ (Werfall) | Wer oder was? | das Dorf | die Dörfer |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | das Dorf | die Dörfer |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | dem Dorf | den Dörfern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | des Dorfes | der Dörfer |
Indefinite (ein / eine): Used when introducing a countable singular noun; has no plural article in German.
| Case (Fall) | Question | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
Nominative Nominativ (Werfall) | Wer oder was? | ein Dorf | Dörfer |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | ein Dorf | Dörfer |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | einem Dorf | Dörfern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | eines Dorfes | Dörfer |
Negative (kein / keine): Negates nouns with or without an indefinite article; follows ein-words in singular and die in plural.
| Case (Fall) | Question | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
Nominative Nominativ (Werfall) | Wer oder was? | kein Dorf | keine Dörfer |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | kein Dorf | keine Dörfer |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | keinem Dorf | keinen Dörfern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | keines Dorfes | keiner Dörfer |
Possessive (mein / dein / …): Uses ein-word endings in singular and definite-like endings in plural (mein/dein/sein/ihr/unser/euer/Ihr).
| Case (Fall) | Question | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
Nominative Nominativ (Werfall) | Wer oder was? | mein Dorf | meine Dörfer |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | mein Dorf | meine Dörfer |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | meinem Dorf | meinen Dörfern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | meines Dorfes | meiner Dörfer |
Why These Endings Work
Standard pattern for most masculine (der) and neuter (das) nouns: genitive singular ends in -s or -es.
- Dative plural adds -n to the plural stem: Dörfer → Dörfern.
Example Sentences in Context
Das Dorf hat nur fünfhundert Einwohner.
The village has only five hundred inhabitants.
Meine Großeltern lieben ihr Dorf.
My grandparents love their village.
In dem Dorf gibt es keinen Supermarkt.
There is no supermarket in the village.
Interactive Tools & Related Guides
More Nouns in City & Travel
FAQs: das Dorf
Is "Dorf" der, die, or das in German?
"Dorf" takes the neuter definite article "das" (das Dorf). Gender cue: Lexical gender — memorize together with its article.
What is the plural and Dative plural of "das Dorf"?
The Nominative plural of das Dorf is "die Dörfer" (pattern: ¨-er). In the Dative plural it becomes "den Dörfern".
How does "das Dorf" change in the Genitive, Accusative, and Dative?
As a strong neuter noun, "Dorf" changes only in the Genitive singular (des Dorfes); Accusative and Dative keep "Dorf".