der · Masculine (Maskulinum)B1N-Declension / WeakNature & Animals

der Elefant

elephant

Nominative Sg.der Elefant

Genitive Sg.des Elefanten

Nominative Plural

die Elefanten

Dative Pluralden Elefanten

Gender / Plural CueSuffix -ant -> masculine weak noun (N-Deklination)

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?	der Elefant	die Elefanten
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall)	Wen oder was?	den Elefanten	die Elefanten
Dative Dativ (Wemfall)	Wem?	dem Elefanten	den Elefanten
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall)	Wessen?	des Elefanten	der Elefanten

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 Elefant	Elefanten
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall)	Wen oder was?	einen Elefanten	Elefanten
Dative Dativ (Wemfall)	Wem?	einem Elefanten	Elefanten
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall)	Wessen?	eines Elefanten	Elefanten

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 Elefant	keine Elefanten
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall)	Wen oder was?	keinen Elefanten	keine Elefanten
Dative Dativ (Wemfall)	Wem?	keinem Elefanten	keinen Elefanten
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall)	Wessen?	keines Elefanten	keiner Elefanten

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 Elefant	meine Elefanten
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall)	Wen oder was?	meinen Elefanten	meine Elefanten
Dative Dativ (Wemfall)	Wem?	meinem Elefanten	meinen Elefanten
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall)	Wessen?	meines Elefanten	meiner Elefanten

Why These Endings Work

Animate and classical masculine nouns ending in -e, -ent, -ant, -ist, -oge, plus key nouns like Herr and Mensch.

N-Declension (weak masculine): takes -(e)n in Accusative, Dative, and Genitive singular as well as plural.
Plural "Elefanten" already ends in -n or -s, so Dative plural stays Elefanten.

Pattern summary: Adds -n or -en in Accusative, Dative, and Genitive Singular (and Plural); Herr takes -n in Sg and -en in Pl.

Example Sentences in Context

Nominative

Der Elefant trinkt mit seinem Rüssel Wasser.

The elephant drinks water with its trunk.

Accusative

Die Kinder beobachten den Elefanten voller Neugier.

The children watch the elephant full of curiosity.

Interactive Tools & Related Guides

Check "Elefant" in Der/Die/Das Checker Analyze in Compound Deconstructor Inspect Example in Sentence Analyzer

German Gender & ArticlesPredict der, die, das with high-frequency endings The Four German CasesNominative, Accusative, Dative, and Genitive roles N-Declension (Weak Nouns)Why "Elefant" adds -(e)n across singular cases Genitive Case GuideHow "des Elefanten" expresses possession

FAQs: der Elefant

Is "Elefant" der, die, or das in German?

"Elefant" takes the masculine definite article "der" (der Elefant). Gender cue: Suffix -ant -> masculine weak noun (N-Deklination).

What is the plural and Dative plural of "der Elefant"?

The Nominative plural of der Elefant is "die Elefanten" (pattern: -en). In the Dative plural it becomes "den Elefanten".

How does "der Elefant" change in the Genitive, Accusative, and Dative?

"Elefant" follows N-Deklination (weak masculine): Nominative "der Elefant", while Accusative "den Elefanten", Dative "dem Elefanten", and Genitive "des Elefanten" all use "Elefanten".