der Vater
father
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 Vater | die Väter |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | den Vater | die Väter |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | dem Vater | den Vätern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | des Vaters | der Väter |
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 Vater | Väter |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | einen Vater | Väter |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | einem Vater | Vätern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | eines Vaters | Väter |
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 Vater | keine Väter |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | keinen Vater | keine Väter |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | keinem Vater | keinen Vätern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | keines Vaters | keiner Väter |
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 Vater | meine Väter |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | meinen Vater | meine Väter |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | meinem Vater | meinen Vätern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | meines Vaters | meiner Väter |
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: Väter → Vätern.
Example Sentences in Context
Mein Vater liest Zeitung.
My father reads the newspaper.
Ich besuche meinen Vater am Wochenende.
I'm visiting my father at the weekend.
Interactive Tools & Related Guides
More Nouns in People & Family
FAQs: der Vater
Is "Vater" der, die, or das in German?
"Vater" takes the masculine definite article "der" (der Vater). Gender cue: Natural male gender (der); umlaut-only plural (die Väter).
What is the plural and Dative plural of "der Vater"?
The Nominative plural of der Vater is "die Väter" (pattern: ¨-). In the Dative plural it becomes "den Vätern".
How does "der Vater" change in the Genitive, Accusative, and Dative?
As a strong masculine noun, "Vater" changes only in the Genitive singular (des Vaters); Accusative and Dative keep "Vater".