der Patient
patient (male)
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 Patient | die Patienten |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | den Patienten | die Patienten |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | dem Patienten | den Patienten |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | des Patienten | der Patienten |
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 Patient | Patienten |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | einen Patienten | Patienten |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | einem Patienten | Patienten |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | eines Patienten | Patienten |
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 Patient | keine Patienten |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | keinen Patienten | keine Patienten |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | keinem Patienten | keinen Patienten |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | keines Patienten | keiner Patienten |
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 Patient | meine Patienten |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | meinen Patienten | meine Patienten |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | meinem Patienten | meinen Patienten |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | meines Patienten | meiner Patienten |
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 "Patienten" already ends in -n or -s, so Dative plural stays Patienten.
Example Sentences in Context
Der Patient wartet schon seit einer Stunde.
The patient has been waiting for an hour already.
Die Ärztin untersucht den Patienten sehr gründlich.
The doctor examines the patient very thoroughly.
Interactive Tools & Related Guides
More Nouns with Similar Declension
FAQs: der Patient
Is "Patient" der, die, or das in German?
"Patient" takes the masculine definite article "der" (der Patient). Gender cue: Suffix -ent for persons -> masculine weak noun (N-Deklination).
What is the plural and Dative plural of "der Patient"?
The Nominative plural of der Patient is "die Patienten" (pattern: -en). In the Dative plural it becomes "den Patienten".
How does "der Patient" change in the Genitive, Accusative, and Dative?
"Patient" follows N-Deklination (weak masculine): Nominative "der Patient", while Accusative "den Patienten", Dative "dem Patienten", and Genitive "des Patienten" all use "Patienten".