die Kuh
cow
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 Kuh | die Kühe |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | die Kuh | die Kühe |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | der Kuh | den Kühen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | der Kuh | der Kühe |
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 Kuh | Kühe |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | eine Kuh | Kühe |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | einer Kuh | Kühen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | einer Kuh | Kühe |
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 Kuh | keine Kühe |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | keine Kuh | keine Kühe |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | keiner Kuh | keinen Kühen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | keiner Kuh | keiner Kühe |
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 Kuh | meine Kühe |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | meine Kuh | meine Kühe |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | meiner Kuh | meinen Kühen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | meiner Kuh | meiner Kühe |
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.
- Dative plural adds -n to the plural stem: Kühe → Kühen.
Example Sentences in Context
Die Kuh steht auf der Weide.
The cow is standing in the pasture.
Der Bauer melkt die Kuh jeden Morgen.
The farmer milks the cow every morning.
Die Milch kommt von den Kühen auf dem Hof.
The milk comes from the cows on the farm.
Interactive Tools & Related Guides
More Nouns in Nature & Animals
FAQs: die Kuh
Is "Kuh" der, die, or das in German?
"Kuh" takes the feminine definite article "die" (die Kuh). Gender cue: Female animal -> feminine (die Kuh).
What is the plural and Dative plural of "die Kuh"?
The Nominative plural of die Kuh is "die Kühe" (pattern: ¨-e). In the Dative plural it becomes "den Kühen".
How does "die Kuh" change in the Genitive, Accusative, and Dative?
As a feminine noun, "Kuh" keeps the exact same stem in all four singular cases; only the article changes (die Kuh / die Kuh / der Kuh / der Kuh).