Why does the noun Ecke 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 Ecke

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativdie Eckeeine Eckekeine Ecke
Akkusativdie Eckeeine Eckekeine Ecke
Dativder Eckeeiner Eckekeiner Ecke
Genitivder Eckeeiner Eckekeiner Ecke

Examples in context

Real sentences using Ecke in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
Die dunkle Ecke ist schmutzig.The dark corner is dirty.
Eine kleine Ecke ist frei.A small corner is free.
Keine helle Ecke ist sicher.No bright corner is safe.
Akkusativ
Ich sehe die dunkle Ecke dort.I see the dark corner there.
Er sucht eine ruhige Ecke zum Sitzen.He is looking for a quiet corner to sit.
Ich finde keine freie Ecke hier.I don't find any free corner here.
Dativ
Ich sitze in der dunklen Ecke.I sit in the dark corner.
Er steht an einer leeren Ecke.He stands at an empty corner.
Sie ist in keiner hellen Ecke.She is not in any bright corner.
Genitiv
Die Farbe der dunklen Ecke ist grau.The color of the dark corner is gray.
Der Staub einer alten Ecke ist alt.The dust of an old corner is old.
Ich kenne die Geschichte keiner Ecke.I don't know the history of any corner.

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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 Ecke?

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

The German noun Ecke is categorized as Beginner (A1) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.

What is the plural of die Ecke?

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

What does die Ecke mean in English?

The German word die Ecke translates to “corner” in English.

How do you decline die Ecke?

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

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.