der Tee
tea
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 Tee | die Tees |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | den Tee | die Tees |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | dem Tee | den Tees |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | des Tees | der Tees |
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 Tee | Tees |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | einen Tee | Tees |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | einem Tee | Tees |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | eines Tees | Tees |
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 Tee | keine Tees |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | keinen Tee | keine Tees |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | keinem Tee | keinen Tees |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | keines Tees | keiner Tees |
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 Tee | meine Tees |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | meinen Tee | meine Tees |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | meinem Tee | meinen Tees |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | meines Tees | meiner Tees |
Why These Endings Work
Standard pattern for most masculine (der) and neuter (das) nouns: genitive singular ends in -s or -es.
- Plural "Tees" already ends in -n or -s, so Dative plural stays Tees.
Example Sentences in Context
Ich trinke gern Tee.
I like drinking tea.
Die Farbe des Tees wird nach drei Minuten dunkler.
The tea's color gets darker after three minutes.
Interactive Tools & Related Guides
More Nouns in Food & Drink
FAQs: der Tee
Is "Tee" der, die, or das in German?
"Tee" takes the masculine definite article "der" (der Tee). Gender cue: Lexical gender — memorize together with its article.
What is the plural and Dative plural of "der Tee"?
The Nominative plural of der Tee is "die Tees" (pattern: -s). In the Dative plural it becomes "den Tees".
How does "der Tee" change in the Genitive, Accusative, and Dative?
As a strong masculine noun, "Tee" changes only in the Genitive singular (des Tees); Accusative and Dative keep "Tee".