der Wald
forest / woods
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 Wald | die Wälder |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | den Wald | die Wälder |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | dem Wald | den Wäldern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | des Waldes | der Wälder |
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 Wald | Wälder |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | einen Wald | Wälder |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | einem Wald | Wäldern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | eines Waldes | Wälder |
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 Wald | keine Wälder |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | keinen Wald | keine Wälder |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | keinem Wald | keinen Wäldern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | keines Waldes | keiner Wälder |
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 Wald | meine Wälder |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | meinen Wald | meine Wälder |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | meinem Wald | meinen Wäldern |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | meines Waldes | meiner Wälder |
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: Wälder → Wäldern.
Example Sentences in Context
Wir machen heute einen Ausflug in den Wald.
Today we are taking a trip into the forest.
Am Rand des Waldes steht ein kleines Haus.
There is a small house at the edge of the forest.
Interactive Tools & Related Guides
More Nouns in Nature & Animals
FAQs: der Wald
Is "Wald" der, die, or das in German?
"Wald" takes the masculine definite article "der" (der Wald). Gender cue: Lexical gender — memorize together with its article.
What is the plural and Dative plural of "der Wald"?
The Nominative plural of der Wald is "die Wälder" (pattern: ¨-er). In the Dative plural it becomes "den Wäldern".
How does "der Wald" change in the Genitive, Accusative, and Dative?
As a strong masculine noun, "Wald" changes only in the Genitive singular (des Waldes); Accusative and Dative keep "Wald".