die Nation
nation
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? | die Nation | die Nationen |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | die Nation | die Nationen |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | der Nation | den Nationen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | der Nation | der Nationen |
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? | eine Nation | Nationen |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | eine Nation | Nationen |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | einer Nation | Nationen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | einer Nation | Nationen |
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? | keine Nation | keine Nationen |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | keine Nation | keine Nationen |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | keiner Nation | keinen Nationen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | keiner Nation | keiner Nationen |
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? | meine Nation | meine Nationen |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | meine Nation | meine Nationen |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | meiner Nation | meinen Nationen |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | meiner Nation | meiner Nationen |
Why These Endings Work
All feminine (die) nouns stay completely unchanged in the singular across Nominative, Accusative, Dative, and Genitive.
- Feminine nouns never change their own ending in the singular across all four cases.
- Plural "Nationen" already ends in -n or -s, so Dative plural stays Nationen.
Example Sentences in Context
Die ganze Nation feiert den Sieg ihrer Mannschaft.
The whole nation celebrates its team's victory.
Die Geschichte der Nation ist eng mit dieser Stadt verbunden.
The nation's history is closely tied to this city.
Interactive Tools & Related Guides
More Nouns in Culture & Ideas
FAQs: die Nation
Is "Nation" der, die, or das in German?
"Nation" takes the feminine definite article "die" (die Nation). Gender cue: Suffix -tion -> ALWAYS feminine (die).
What is the plural and Dative plural of "die Nation"?
The Nominative plural of die Nation is "die Nationen" (pattern: -en). In the Dative plural it becomes "den Nationen".
How does "die Nation" change in the Genitive, Accusative, and Dative?
As a feminine noun, "Nation" keeps the exact same stem in all four singular cases; only the article changes (die Nation / die Nation / der Nation / der Nation).