Why does the noun Geisteswissenschaft have the article die?

Nouns ending in -schaft are always feminine. Look at the bolded -schaft in the noun above — that suffix is the giveaway.

Examples

die Freundschaft (friendship), die Wissenschaft (science), die Wirtschaft (economy), die Gesellschaft (society), die Landschaft (landscape), die Mannschaft (team)

Declension table for German noun Geisteswissenschaft

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativdie Geisteswissenschafteine Geisteswissenschaft—
Akkusativdie Geisteswissenschafteine Geisteswissenschaft—
Dativder Geisteswissenschafteiner Geisteswissenschaft—
Genitivder Geisteswissenschafteiner Geisteswissenschaft—

Examples in context

Real sentences using Geisteswissenschaft in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
—
Akkusativ
—
Dativ
—
Genitiv
—

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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 Geisteswissenschaft?

It is die Geisteswissenschaft. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Geisteswissenschaft is feminine. You should always learn the article together with the noun to ensure your German grammar is correct.

What is the plural of die Geisteswissenschaft?

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

What does die Geisteswissenschaft mean in English?

The German word die Geisteswissenschaft translates to “humanities” in English.

How do you decline die Geisteswissenschaft?

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

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.