Basketball

Q: Is it der, die, or das Basketball?

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

Q: What is the plural of der Basketball?

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

Q: What does der Basketball mean in English?

The German word der Basketball translates to “basketball” in English.

Q: How do you decline der Basketball?

Like all German nouns, Basketball changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are: Nominativ: der Basketball Akkusativ: den Basketball Dativ: dem Basketball Genitiv: des Basketballs 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.

basketball

Plural: die Basketbälle

Strong

Why does the noun Basketball have the article der?

This noun follows no general suffix rule — its gender is part of the core vocabulary you simply learn alongside the word.

Declension table for German noun Basketball

How it changes across the four cases.

Case	Definite	Indefinite	Negative
Nominativ	der Basketball	ein Basketball	kein Basketball
Akkusativ	den Basketball	einen Basketball	keinen Basketball
Dativ	dem Basketball	einem Basketball	keinem Basketball
Genitiv	des Basketballs	eines Basketballs	keines Basketballs
Nominativ	die Basketbälle	Basketbälle	keine Basketbälle
Akkusativ	die Basketbälle	Basketbälle	keine Basketbälle
Dativ	den Basketbällen	Basketbällen	keinen Basketbällen
Genitiv	der Basketbälle	Basketbälle	keiner Basketbälle

Examples in context

Real sentences using Basketball in different cases.

Case	Definite	Indefinite	Negative
Nominativ	Der Basketball ist neu.The basketball is new.	Ein Basketball ist rund.A basketball is round.	Kein Basketball ist hier.No basketball is here.
Akkusativ	Ich sehe den Basketball.I see the basketball.	Wir brauchen einen Basketball.We need a basketball.	Ich habe keinen Basketball.I have no basketball.
Dativ	Ich spiele mit dem Basketball.I play with the basketball.	Er spielt mit einem Basketball.He plays with a basketball.	Ich spiele mit keinem Basketball.I play with no basketball.
Genitiv	Die Farbe des Basketballs ist rot.The color of the basketball is red.	Der Preis eines Basketballs ist hoch.The price of a basketball is high.	Der Wert keines Basketballs ist bekannt.The value of no basketball is known.
Nominativ	Die Basketbälle sind groß.The basketballs are big.	Neue Basketbälle sind teuer.New basketballs are expensive.	Keine Basketbälle sind verfügbar.No basketballs are available.
Akkusativ	Er kauft die Basketbälle.He buys the basketballs.	Wir suchen neue Basketbälle.We are looking for new basketballs.	Sie hat keine Basketbälle.She has no basketballs.
Dativ	Sie spielen mit den Basketbällen.They play with the basketballs.	Wir spielen mit vielen Basketbällen.We play with many basketballs.	Sie spielen mit keinen Basketbällen.They play with no basketballs.
Genitiv	Die Größe der Basketbälle ist wichtig.The size of the basketballs is important.	Die Qualität vieler Basketbälle ist gut.The quality of many basketballs is good.	Der Zustand keiner Basketbälle ist gut.The condition of no basketballs is good.

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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 Basketball?

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

What is the plural of der Basketball?

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

What does der Basketball mean in English?

The German word der Basketball translates to “basketball” in English.

How do you decline der Basketball?

Like all German nouns, Basketball changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:

Nominativ: der Basketball
Akkusativ: den Basketball
Dativ: dem Basketball
Genitiv: des Basketballs

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.