Why does the noun Bruder have the article der?
Nouns referring to male persons are masculine.
Examples
der Mann (man), der Vater (father), der Bruder (brother), der Sohn (son), der Onkel (uncle), der Neffe (nephew), der Großvater (grandfather)
Declension table for German noun Bruder
How it changes across the four cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der Bruder | ein Bruder | kein Bruder |
| Akkusativ | den Bruder | einen Bruder | keinen Bruder |
| Dativ | dem Bruder | einen Bruder | keinem Bruder |
| Genitiv | des Bruders | eines Bruders | keines Bruders |
| Nominativ | die Brüder | Brüder | keine Brüder |
| Akkusativ | die Brüder | Brüder | keine Brüder |
| Dativ | den Brüdern | Brüdern | keinen Brüdern |
| Genitiv | der Brüder | Brüder | keiner Brüder |
Examples in context
Real sentences using Bruder in different cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | Der alte Bruder ist hier.The older brother is here. | Ein netter Bruder hilft immer.A nice brother always helps. | Kein guter Bruder ist gemein.No good brother is mean. |
| Akkusativ | Ich sehe den jungen Bruder.I see the younger brother. | Er hat einen kleinen Bruder.He has a little brother. | Ich habe keinen alten Bruder.I have no older brother. |
| Dativ | Ich spreche mit dem großen Bruder.I am speaking with the big brother. | Das ist für einen lieben Bruder.This is for a dear brother. | Ich gebe keinem faulen Bruder Geld.I give no lazy brother money. |
| Genitiv | Das ist das Fahrrad des kleinen Bruders.This is the little brother's bicycle. | Das ist das Spielzeug eines netten Bruders.This is the toy of a nice brother. | Das ist das Buch keines fremden Bruders.This is the book of no strange brother. |
| Nominativ | Die alten Brüder sind hier.The older brothers are here. | Nette Brüder helfen immer.Nice brothers always help. | Keine guten Brüder sind gemein.No good brothers are mean. |
| Akkusativ | Ich sehe die jungen Brüder.I see the younger brothers. | Er hat kleine Brüder.He has little brothers. | Ich habe keine alten Brüder.I have no older brothers. |
| Dativ | Ich spreche mit den großen Brüdern.I am speaking with the big brothers. | Er versteht sich mit jüngen Brüdern gut.He gets along well with younger brothers. | Ich gebe keinen faulen Brüdern Geld.I give no lazy brothers money. |
| Genitiv | Das ist das Fahrrad der kleinen Brüder.This is the little brothers' bicycle. | Das ist das Spielzeug netter Brüder.This is the toy of nice brothers. | Das ist das Haus keiner reichen Brüder.This is the house of no rich brothers. |
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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 Bruder?
It is der Bruder. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Bruder is masculine. You should always learn the article together with the noun to ensure your German grammar is correct.
What CEFR level is the word Bruder?
The German noun Bruder is categorized as Beginner (A1) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.
What is the plural of der Bruder?
The plural form of der Bruder is die Brüder. In German, regardless of the singular gender, all plural nouns use the definite article “die.”
What does der Bruder mean in English?
The German word der Bruder translates to “brother” in English.
How do you decline der Bruder?
Like all German nouns, Bruder changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:
- Nominativ: der Bruder
- Akkusativ: den Bruder
- Dativ: dem Bruder
- Genitiv: des Bruders
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.
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