der Ball
ball
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 Ball | die Bälle |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | den Ball | die Bälle |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | dem Ball | den Bällen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | des Balls | der Bälle |
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 Ball | Bälle |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | einen Ball | Bälle |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | einem Ball | Bällen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | eines Balls | Bälle |
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 Ball | keine Bälle |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | keinen Ball | keine Bälle |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | keinem Ball | keinen Bällen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | keines Balls | keiner Bälle |
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 Ball | meine Bälle |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | meinen Ball | meine Bälle |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | meinem Ball | meinen Bällen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | meines Balls | meiner Bälle |
Why These Endings Work
Standard pattern for most masculine (der) and neuter (das) nouns: genitive singular ends in -s or -es.
- Dative plural adds -n to the plural stem: Bälle → Bällen.
Example Sentences in Context
Der Ball rollt über die Straße.
The ball rolls across the street.
Wirf mir bitte den Ball zu!
Please throw me the ball!
Die Kinder spielen mit dem Ball.
The children are playing with the ball.
Interactive Tools & Related Guides
More Nouns in Culture & Ideas
FAQs: der Ball
Is "Ball" der, die, or das in German?
"Ball" takes the masculine definite article "der" (der Ball). Gender cue: Lexical gender — memorize together with its article.
What is the plural and Dative plural of "der Ball"?
The Nominative plural of der Ball is "die Bälle" (pattern: ¨-e). In the Dative plural it becomes "den Bällen".
How does "der Ball" change in the Genitive, Accusative, and Dative?
As a strong masculine noun, "Ball" changes only in the Genitive singular (des Balls); Accusative and Dative keep "Ball".