Why does the noun Empathie have the article die?

Nouns ending in -ie are feminine.

Examples

die Philosophie (philosophy), die Biologie (biology), die Demokratie (democracy), die Energie (energy), die Melodie (melody), die Symphonie (symphony)

Declension table for German noun Empathie

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativdie Empathieeine Empathiekeine Empathie
Akkusativdie Empathieeine Empathiekeine Empathie
Dativder Empathieeiner Empathiekeiner Empathie
Genitivder Empathieeiner Empathiekeiner Empathie

Examples in context

Real sentences using Empathie in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
Die große Empathie ist wichtig.The great empathy is important.
Eine starke Empathie hilft sehr.A strong empathy helps a lot.
Keine falsche Empathie ist gut.No false empathy is good.
Akkusativ
Ich zeige die wahre Empathie.I show the true empathy.
Er hat eine tiefe Empathie.He has a deep empathy.
Sie hat keine echte Empathie.She has no real empathy.
Dativ
Mit der großen Empathie helfe ich.With the great empathy, I help.
Er spricht mit einer wahren Empathie.He speaks with true empathy.
Ohne keiner echten Empathie geht es nicht.Without real empathy, it doesn't work.
Genitiv
Die Kraft der großen Empathie ist groß.The power of the great empathy is great.
Der Wert einer wahren Empathie ist hoch.The value of true empathy is high.
Die Folge keiner echten Empathie ist schlecht.The consequence of no empathy is bad.

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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 Empathie?

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

The German noun Empathie is categorized as Upper-Intermediate (B2) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.

What is the plural of die Empathie?

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

What does die Empathie mean in English?

The German word die Empathie translates to “empathy” in English.

How do you decline die Empathie?

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

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.