Why does the noun Butter have the article die?
Nouns formed from verbs with -er ending are mostly masculine. Look at the bolded -er in the noun above — that suffix is the giveaway.
Examples
der Lehrer (teacher), der Fahrer (driver), der Arbeiter (worker), der Schreiber (writer), der Spieler (player), der Maler (painter)
Exceptions
das Fenster (window), das Wasser (water), die Butter (butter), die Mutter (mother)
Declension table for German noun Butter
How it changes across the four cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | die Butter | eine Butter | keine Butter |
| Akkusativ | die Butter | eine Butter | keine Butter |
| Dativ | der Butter | einer Butter | keiner Butter |
| Genitiv | der Butter | einer Butter | keiner Butter |
Examples in context
Real sentences using Butter in different cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | Die frische Butter schmeckt gut.The fresh butter tastes good. | Eine gute Butter ist teuer.A good butter is expensive. | Keine billige Butter ist hier.No cheap butter is here. |
| Akkusativ | Ich kaufe die frische Butter.I buy the fresh butter. | Er braucht eine gute Butter.He needs a good butter. | Wir wollen keine alte Butter.We don't want any old butter. |
| Dativ | Mit der frischen Butter backe ich.I bake with the fresh butter. | Mit einer guten Butter gelingt es.It succeeds with a good butter. | Mit keiner alten Butter geht es.It doesn't work with no old butter. |
| Genitiv | Der Preis der frischen Butter ist hoch.The price of the fresh butter is high. | Der Geschmack einer guten Butter ist bekannt.The taste of a good butter is known. | Die Qualität keiner alten Butter ist gut.The quality of no old butter is good. |
GET THE APP
Practice die Butter in the app
Master die Butter (and 5,000+ other German nouns) with quizzes, smart review, and instant grammar tips.
- 5,000+ nouns with translations in 11 languages
- Quizzes by level, category, or your weakest words
- Snap a photo of any German text — extract nouns instantly
Frequently asked questions
Everything you might wonder about der, die, das — and the Der Artikel app.
Is it der, die, or das Butter?
What CEFR level is the word Butter?
What is the plural of die Butter?
What does die Butter mean in English?
How do you decline die Butter?
- Nominativ: die Butter
- Akkusativ: die Butter
- Dativ: der Butter
- Genitiv: der Butter
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.