Why does the noun Freude 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 Freude
How it changes across the four cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | die Freude | eine Freude | keine Freude |
| Akkusativ | die Freude | eine Freude | keine Freude |
| Dativ | der Freude | einer Freude | keiner Freude |
| Genitiv | der Freude | einer Freude | keiner Freude |
| Nominativ | die Freuden | Freuden | keine Freuden |
| Akkusativ | die Freuden | Freuden | keine Freuden |
| Dativ | den Freuden | Freuden | keinen Freuden |
| Genitiv | der Freuden | Freuden | keiner Freuden |
Examples in context
Real sentences using Freude in different cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | Die pure Freude ist ansteckend.The pure joy is contagious. | Eine kleine Freude macht den Tag besser.A small joy makes the day better. | Keine echte Freude war im Raum zu spüren.No real joy could be felt in the room. |
| Akkusativ | Ich spüre die ehrliche Freude.I feel the honest joy. | Er empfindet eine tiefe Freude.He feels a deep joy. | Sie zeigt keine große Freude.She shows no great joy. |
| Dativ | Ich folge der inneren Freude.I follow the inner joy. | Er gibt sich einer stillen Freude hin.He surrenders to a quiet joy. | Mit keiner echten Freude ging er weg.He left with no real joy. |
| Genitiv | Das Gefühl der reinen Freude ist selten.The feeling of pure joy is rare. | Es war ein Moment einer unerwarteten Freude.It was a moment of unexpected joy. | Der Ausdruck keiner wahren Freude stand ihr im Gesicht.The expression of no true joy was on her face. |
| Nominativ | Die kleinen Freuden sind die besten.The small joys are the best. | Es gibt viele Freuden im Leben.There are many joys in life. | Keine besonderen Freuden wurden erwartet.No special joys were expected. |
| Akkusativ | Wir teilen die vielen Freuden.We share the many joys. | Ich wünsche dir schöne Freuden.I wish you beautiful joys. | Er hatte keine wirklichen Freuden im Leben.He had no real joys in life. |
| Dativ | Er widmet sich den einfachen Freuden.He devotes himself to the simple joys. | Das Buch handelt von kleinen Freuden.The book is about small joys. | Mit keinen besonderen Freuden rechnete sie.She didn't count on any special joys. |
| Genitiv | Die Summe der kleinen Freuden ist groß.The sum of the small joys is great. | Das ist eine Liste vieler Freuden.This is a list of many joys. | Trotz keiner großen Freuden war er zufrieden.Despite no great joys, he was content. |
GET THE APP
Practice die Freude in the app
Master die Freude (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 Freude?
It is die Freude. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Freude 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 Freude?
The German noun Freude is categorized as Elementary (A2) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.
What is the plural of die Freude?
The plural form of die Freude is die Freuden. In German, regardless of the singular gender, all plural nouns use the definite article “die.”
What does die Freude mean in English?
The German word die Freude translates to “joy” in English.
How do you decline die Freude?
Like all German nouns, Freude changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:
- Nominativ: die Freude
- Akkusativ: die Freude
- Dativ: der Freude
- Genitiv: der Freude
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
Emotions & Feelings
Explore →
BROWSE BY GENDER
Feminine nouns
Explore →
Browse by declension
Strong Standard declension — no extra -(e)n. The 96% majority.
Explore →