Why does the noun Aktion have the article die?

Nouns ending in -ion or -tion are feminine. Look at the bolded -ion in the noun above — that suffix is the giveaway.

Examples

die Nation (nation), die Situation (situation), die Religion (religion), die Information (information), die Kommunikation (communication), die Tradition (tradition)

Exceptions

der Spion (spy), der Skorpion (scorpion) - these refer to people/animals

Declension table for German noun Aktion

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativdie Aktioneine Aktionkeine Aktion
Akkusativdie Aktioneine Aktionkeine Aktion
Dativder Aktioneiner Aktionkeiner Aktion
Genitivder Aktioneiner Aktionkeiner Aktion

Examples in context

Real sentences using Aktion in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
Die neue Aktion beginnt heute.The new action starts today.
Eine gute Aktion hilft vielen.A good action helps many.
Keine Aktion ist hier geplant.No action is planned here.
Akkusativ
Ich plane die nächste Aktion.I am planning the next action.
Er startet eine große Aktion.He starts a big action.
Wir haben keine Aktion gesehen.We saw no action.
Dativ
Ich helfe der guten Aktion.I help the good action.
Er nimmt an einer Aktion teil.He participates in an action.
Sie gibt keiner Aktion Priorität.She gives no action priority.
Genitiv
Der Erfolg der neuen Aktion ist groß.The success of the new action is great.
Der Beginn einer Aktion ist wichtig.The beginning of an action is important.
Das Ziel keiner Aktion ist klar.The goal of no action is clear.

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Frequently asked questions

Everything you might wonder about der, die, das — and the Der Artikel app.

Is it der, die, or das Aktion?

It is die Aktion. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Aktion is feminine. You should always learn the article together with the noun to ensure your German grammar is correct.

What CEFR level is the word Aktion?

The German noun Aktion is categorized as Intermediate (B1) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.

What is the plural of die Aktion?

The plural form of die Aktion is die Aktionen. In German, regardless of the singular gender, all plural nouns use the definite article “die.”

What does die Aktion mean in English?

The German word die Aktion translates to “action, campaign” in English.

How do you decline die Aktion?

Like all German nouns, Aktion changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:
  • Nominativ: die Aktion
  • Akkusativ: die Aktion
  • Dativ: der Aktion
  • Genitiv: der Aktion

These changes are necessary because German uses cases to indicate the noun’s role in a sentence (such as the subject or object). Knowing these forms allows you to build grammatically correct sentences.