Why does the noun Bitte have the article die?

About 90% of nouns ending in -e are feminine.

Examples

die Lampe (lamp), die Schule (school), die Tasche (bag), die Klasse (class), die Straße (street), die Sonne (sun), die Blume (flower)

Exceptions

der Junge (boy), der Löwe (lion), der Affe (monkey), der Name (name), der Käse (cheese), das Ende (end), das Auge (eye)

Declension table for German noun Bitte

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativdie Bitteeine Bittekeine Bitte
Akkusativdie Bitteeine Bittekeine Bitte
Dativder Bitteeiner Bittekeiner Bitte
Genitivder Bitteeiner Bittekeiner Bitte

Examples in context

Real sentences using Bitte in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
Die Bitte ist sehr dringend.The request is very urgent.
Eine kleine Bitte habe ich noch.I have one more small request.
Keine Bitte ist zu groß.No request is too big.
Akkusativ
Ich verstehe die Bitte nicht.I don't understand the request.
Er hat eine große Bitte.He has a big request.
Ich habe keine Bitte an dich.I have no request for you.
Dativ
Er stimmt der Bitte zu.He agrees to the request.
Ich entspreche einer speziellen Bitte.I am complying with a special request.
Er widerspricht keiner Bitte.He doesn't contradict any request.
Genitiv
Der Inhalt der Bitte ist klar.The content of the request is clear.
Wegen einer dringenden Bitte rufe ich an.I am calling because of an urgent request.
Der Grund keiner Bitte wurde genannt.The reason for no request was mentioned.

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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 Bitte?

It is die Bitte. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Bitte 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 Bitte?

The German noun Bitte is categorized as Elementary (A2) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.

What is the plural of die Bitte?

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

What does die Bitte mean in English?

The German word die Bitte translates to “request” in English.

How do you decline die Bitte?

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

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.