Why does the noun Feind 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 Feind

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativder Feindein Feindkein Feind
Akkusativden Feindeinen Feindkeinen Feind
Dativdem Feindeinem Feindkeinem Feind
Genitivdes Feindeseines Feindeskeines Feindes

Examples in context

Real sentences using Feind in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
Der alte Feind ist wichtig.The old enemy is important.
Ein alter Feind kommt heute.An old enemy comes today.
Kein alter Feind ist gut.No old enemy is good.
Akkusativ
Ich sehe den alten Feind.I see the old enemy.
Er hat einen alten Feind gefunden.He found an old enemy.
Sie will keinen alten Feind.She doesn't want any old enemy.
Dativ
Ich helfe dem alten Feind.I help the old enemy.
Er spricht mit einem alten Feind.He talks with an old enemy.
Sie arbeitet mit keinem alten Feind.She works with no old enemy.
Genitiv
Das ist der Preis des alten Feindes.That is the price of the old enemy.
Der Wert eines alten Feindes ist hoch.The value of an old enemy is high.
Die Größe keines alten Feindes ist unbekannt.The size of no old enemy is unknown.

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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 Feind?

It is der Feind. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Feind 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 Feind?

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

What is the plural of der Feind?

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

What does der Feind mean in English?

The German word der Feind translates to “enemy” in English.

How do you decline der Feind?

Like all German nouns, Feind changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:
  • Nominativ: der Feind
  • Akkusativ: den Feind
  • Dativ: dem Feind
  • Genitiv: des Feindes

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.