Why does the noun Erbse 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 Erbse
How it changes across the four cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | die Erbse | eine Erbse | keine Erbse |
| Akkusativ | die Erbse | eine Erbse | keine Erbse |
| Dativ | der Erbse | einer Erbse | keiner Erbse |
| Genitiv | der Erbse | einer Erbse | keiner Erbse |
| Nominativ | die Erbsen | Erbsen | keine Erbsen |
| Akkusativ | die Erbsen | Erbsen | keine Erbsen |
| Dativ | den Erbsen | Erbsen | keinen Erbsen |
| Genitiv | der Erbsen | Erbsen | keiner Erbsen |
Examples in context
Real sentences using Erbse in different cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | Die frische Erbse ist gesund.The fresh pea is healthy. | Eine grüne Erbse liegt hier.A green pea lies here. | Keine alte Erbse schmeckt gut.No old pea tastes good. |
| Akkusativ | Ich kaufe die frische Erbse.I buy the fresh pea. | Wir essen eine grüne Erbse.We eat a green pea. | Ich mag keine alte Erbse nicht.I don't like old peas. |
| Dativ | Ich gebe der frischen Erbse Wasser.I give water to the fresh pea. | Er hilft einer grünen Erbse sehr.He helps a green pea a lot. | Ich gebe keiner alten Erbse Dünger.I give no fertilizer to old peas. |
| Genitiv | Der Preis der frischen Erbse ist hoch.The price of the fresh pea is high. | Der Geruch einer grünen Erbse ist stark.The smell of a green pea is strong. | Der Geschmack keiner alten Erbse ist gut.The taste of no old pea is good. |
| Nominativ | Die frischen Erbsen sind lecker.The fresh peas are delicious. | Grüne Erbsen wachsen im Garten.Green peas grow in the garden. | Keine alten Erbsen sind übrig.No old peas are left. |
| Akkusativ | Sie kocht die frischen Erbsen.She cooks the fresh peas. | Wir sehen grüne Erbsen dort.We see green peas there. | Ich finde keine alten Erbsen nicht.I don't find any old peas. |
| Dativ | Ich gebe den frischen Erbsen Wasser.I give water to the fresh peas. | Er hilft grünen Erbsen im Garten.He helps green peas in the garden. | Ich gebe keinen alten Erbsen Dünger.I give no fertilizer to old peas. |
| Genitiv | Der Preis der frischen Erbsen ist hoch.The price of the fresh peas is high. | Der Geruch grüner Erbsen ist stark.The smell of green peas is strong. | Der Geschmack keiner alten Erbsen ist gut.The taste of no old peas is good. |
GET THE APP
Practice die Erbse in the app
Master die Erbse (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 Erbse?
It is die Erbse. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Erbse 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 Erbse?
The German noun Erbse is categorized as Elementary (A2) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.
What is the plural of die Erbse?
The plural form of die Erbse is die Erbsen. In German, regardless of the singular gender, all plural nouns use the definite article “die.”
What does die Erbse mean in English?
The German word die Erbse translates to “pea” in English.
How do you decline die Erbse?
Like all German nouns, Erbse changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:
- Nominativ: die Erbse
- Akkusativ: die Erbse
- Dativ: der Erbse
- Genitiv: der Erbse
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.
Browse by level
A2 Elementary — daily life vocabulary
Explore →
Browse by topic
Food & Ingredients
Explore →
BROWSE BY GENDER
Feminine nouns
Explore →
Browse by declension
Strong Standard declension — no extra -(e)n. The 96% majority.
Explore →