der · Masculine (Maskulinum)A2N-Declension / WeakProfessions & Roles

der Polizist

police officer

Nominative Sg.der Polizist

Genitive Sg.des Polizisten

Nominative Plural

die Polizisten

Dative Pluralden Polizisten

Gender / Plural CueSuffix -ist -> 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 Polizist	die Polizisten
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall)	Wen oder was?	den Polizisten	die Polizisten
Dative Dativ (Wemfall)	Wem?	dem Polizisten	den Polizisten
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall)	Wessen?	des Polizisten	der Polizisten

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

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

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

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 "Polizisten" already ends in -n or -s, so Dative plural stays Polizisten.

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 Polizist regelt den Verkehr an der Kreuzung.

The police officer directs traffic at the intersection.

Accusative

Wir fragen den Polizisten nach dem Weg.

We ask the police officer for directions.

Interactive Tools & Related Guides

Check "Polizist" 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 "Polizist" adds -(e)n across singular cases Genitive Case GuideHow "des Polizisten" expresses possession

FAQs: der Polizist

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

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

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

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

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

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