die · Feminine (Femininum)B1Feminine DeclensionStudy & Grammar

die Quelle

source

Nominative Sg.die Quelle

Genitive Sg.der Quelle

Nominative Plural

die Quellen

Dative Pluralden Quellen

Gender / Plural CueMost two-syllable nouns ending in -e are feminine (die)

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 Quelle	die Quellen
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall)	Wen oder was?	die Quelle	die Quellen
Dative Dativ (Wemfall)	Wem?	der Quelle	den Quellen
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall)	Wessen?	der Quelle	der Quellen

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 Quelle	Quellen
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall)	Wen oder was?	eine Quelle	Quellen
Dative Dativ (Wemfall)	Wem?	einer Quelle	Quellen
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall)	Wessen?	einer Quelle	Quellen

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 Quelle	keine Quellen
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall)	Wen oder was?	keine Quelle	keine Quellen
Dative Dativ (Wemfall)	Wem?	keiner Quelle	keinen Quellen
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall)	Wessen?	keiner Quelle	keiner Quellen

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 Quelle	meine Quellen
Accusative Akkusativ (Wenfall)	Wen oder was?	meine Quelle	meine Quellen
Dative Dativ (Wemfall)	Wem?	meiner Quelle	meinen Quellen
Genitive Genitiv (Wesfall)	Wessen?	meiner Quelle	meiner Quellen

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 "Quellen" already ends in -n or -s, so Dative plural stays Quellen.

Pattern summary: Only the article changes in singular (die / die / der / der); plural takes -n in Dative unless ending in -n or -s.

Example Sentences in Context

Nominative

Verlässliche Quellen sind unverzichtbar.

Reliable sources are indispensable.

Dative

In dieser Quelle findet man wichtige Zahlen.

You can find important figures in this source.

Interactive Tools & Related Guides

Check "Quelle" in Der/Die/Das Checker Analyze in Compound Deconstructor Inspect Example in Sentence Analyzer

German Gender & ArticlesPredict der, die, das with high-frequency endings The Four German CasesNominative, Accusative, Dative, and Genitive roles Noun Plurals & Dative -nPlural patterns and the Dative plural -n rule Dative Case GuideIndirect objects, prepositions, and der + feminine nouns

FAQs: die Quelle

Is "Quelle" der, die, or das in German?

"Quelle" takes the feminine definite article "die" (die Quelle). Gender cue: Most two-syllable nouns ending in -e are feminine (die).

What is the plural and Dative plural of "die Quelle"?

The Nominative plural of die Quelle is "die Quellen" (pattern: -n). In the Dative plural it becomes "den Quellen".

How does "die Quelle" change in the Genitive, Accusative, and Dative?

As a feminine noun, "Quelle" keeps the exact same stem in all four singular cases; only the article changes (die Quelle / die Quelle / der Quelle / der Quelle).