die Polizei
police
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 Polizei | — (singular only) |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | die Polizei | — (singular only) |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | der Polizei | — (singular only) |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | der Polizei | — (singular only) |
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 Polizei | — (singular only) |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | eine Polizei | — (singular only) |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | einer Polizei | — (singular only) |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | einer Polizei | — (singular only) |
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 Polizei | — (singular only) |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | keine Polizei | — (singular only) |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | keiner Polizei | — (singular only) |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | keiner Polizei | — (singular only) |
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 Polizei | — (singular only) |
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall) | Wen oder was? | meine Polizei | — (singular only) |
Dative Dativ (Wemfall) | Wem? | meiner Polizei | — (singular only) |
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall) | Wessen? | meiner Polizei | — (singular only) |
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.
- Uncountable / singular-only noun in standard usage (no common plural table).
Example Sentences in Context
Die Polizei hilft den Bürgern im Notfall sofort.
The police help citizens immediately in an emergency.
Die Zeugin ruft sofort die Polizei.
The witness calls the police immediately.
Interactive Tools & Related Guides
More Nouns in City & Travel
FAQs: die Polizei
Is "Polizei" der, die, or das in German?
"Polizei" takes the feminine definite article "die" (die Polizei). Gender cue: Suffix -ei -> always feminine (die); collective singular.
What is the plural and Dative plural of "die Polizei"?
"die Polizei" is normally uncountable (singular-only) in standard German and does not form a common plural table.
How does "die Polizei" change in the Genitive, Accusative, and Dative?
As a feminine noun, "Polizei" keeps the exact same stem in all four singular cases; only the article changes (die Polizei / die Polizei / der Polizei / der Polizei).