die Frau
woman / wife / Mrs.
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? | die Frau | die Frauen |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | die Frau | die Frauen |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | der Frau | den Frauen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | der Frau | der Frauen |
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? | eine Frau | Frauen |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | eine Frau | Frauen |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | einer Frau | Frauen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | einer Frau | Frauen |
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? | keine Frau | keine Frauen |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | keine Frau | keine Frauen |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | keiner Frau | keinen Frauen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | keiner Frau | keiner Frauen |
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? | meine Frau | meine Frauen |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | meine Frau | meine Frauen |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | meiner Frau | meinen Frauen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | meiner Frau | meiner Frauen |
Why These Endings Work
All feminine (die) nouns stay completely unchanged in the singular across Nominative, Accusative, Dative, and Genitive.
- Feminine nouns never change their own ending in the singular across all four cases.
- Plural "Frauen" already ends in -n or -s, so Dative plural stays Frauen.
Example Sentences in Context
Die Frau arbeitet als Architektin in München.
The woman works as an architect in Munich.
Ich gebe der Frau den Schlüssel zurück.
I give the key back to the woman.
Zwei Frauen sprechen vor dem Büro.
Two women are speaking in front of the office.
Interactive Tools & Related Guides
More Nouns in People & Family
FAQs: die Frau
Is "Frau" der, die, or das in German?
"Frau" takes the feminine definite article "die" (die Frau). Gender cue: Natural female gender (die); feminine nouns stay unchanged in singular.
What is the plural and Dative plural of "die Frau"?
The Nominative plural of die Frau is "die Frauen" (pattern: -en). In the Dative plural it becomes "den Frauen".
How does "die Frau" change in the Genitive, Accusative, and Dative?
As a feminine noun, "Frau" keeps the exact same stem in all four singular cases; only the article changes (die Frau / die Frau / der Frau / der Frau).