das Ei
egg
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 Ei | die Eier |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | das Ei | die Eier |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | dem Ei | den Eiern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | des Eies | der Eier |
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 Ei | Eier |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | ein Ei | Eier |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | einem Ei | Eiern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | eines Eies | Eier |
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 Ei | keine Eier |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | kein Ei | keine Eier |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | keinem Ei | keinen Eiern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | keines Eies | keiner Eier |
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 Ei | meine Eier |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | mein Ei | meine Eier |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | meinem Ei | meinen Eiern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | meines Eies | meiner Eier |
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: Eier → Eiern.
Example Sentences in Context
Zum Frühstück esse ich gern ein gekochtes Ei.
For breakfast I like to eat a boiled egg.
Die Schale des Eies ist ganz dünn.
The egg's shell is very thin.
Interactive Tools & Related Guides
More Nouns in Food & Drink
FAQs: das Ei
Is "Ei" der, die, or das in German?
"Ei" takes the neuter definite article "das" (das Ei). Gender cue: Lexical gender — memorize together with its article.
What is the plural and Dative plural of "das Ei"?
The Nominative plural of das Ei is "die Eier" (pattern: -er). In the Dative plural it becomes "den Eiern".
How does "das Ei" change in the Genitive, Accusative, and Dative?
As a strong neuter noun, "Ei" changes only in the Genitive singular (des Eies); Accusative and Dative keep "Ei".