der · Masculine (Maskulinum)B1Strong DeclensionCulture & Ideas

der Optimismus

optimism

Nominative Sg.der Optimismus

Genitive Sg.des Optimismus

Nominative Plural

Singular only

Dative Plural—

Gender / Plural CueSuffix -ismus -> ALWAYS masculine (der); no extra -s in Genitive

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 Optimismus	— (singular only)
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall)	Wen oder was?	den Optimismus	— (singular only)
Dative Dativ (Wemfall)	Wem?	dem Optimismus	— (singular only)
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall)	Wessen?	des Optimismus	— (singular only)

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 Optimismus	— (singular only)
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall)	Wen oder was?	einen Optimismus	— (singular only)
Dative Dativ (Wemfall)	Wem?	einem Optimismus	— (singular only)
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall)	Wessen?	eines Optimismus	— (singular only)

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 Optimismus	— (singular only)
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall)	Wen oder was?	keinen Optimismus	— (singular only)
Dative Dativ (Wemfall)	Wem?	keinem Optimismus	— (singular only)
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall)	Wessen?	keines Optimismus	— (singular only)

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 Optimismus	— (singular only)
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall)	Wen oder was?	meinen Optimismus	— (singular only)
Dative Dativ (Wemfall)	Wem?	meinem Optimismus	— (singular only)
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall)	Wessen?	meines Optimismus	— (singular only)

Why These Endings Work

Standard pattern for most masculine (der) and neuter (das) nouns: genitive singular ends in -s or -es.

Uncountable / singular-only noun in standard usage (no common plural table).

Pattern summary: Genitive Sg adds -(e)s; Accusative/Dative Sg equal the base noun.

Example Sentences in Context

Nominative

Ihr Optimismus steckt das ganze Team an.

Her optimism is infectious for the whole team.

Genitive

Trotz seines Optimismus bleibt die Lage schwierig.

Despite his optimism, the situation remains difficult.

Interactive Tools & Related Guides

Check "Optimismus" 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 Noun Plurals & Dative -nPlural patterns and the Dative plural -n rule Genitive Case GuideHow "des Optimismus" expresses possession

FAQs: der Optimismus

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

"Optimismus" takes the masculine definite article "der" (der Optimismus). Gender cue: Suffix -ismus -> ALWAYS masculine (der); no extra -s in Genitive.

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

"der Optimismus" is normally uncountable (singular-only) in standard German and does not form a common plural table.

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

As a strong masculine noun, "Optimismus" changes only in the Genitive singular (des Optimismus); Accusative and Dative keep "Optimismus".