Why does the noun Gesellschaft 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 Gesellschaft

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativdie Gesellschafteine Gesellschaftkeine Gesellschaft
Akkusativdie Gesellschafteine Gesellschaftkeine Gesellschaft
Dativder Gesellschafteiner Gesellschaftkeiner Gesellschaft
Genitivder Gesellschafteiner Gesellschaftkeiner Gesellschaft

Examples in context

Real sentences using Gesellschaft in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
Die heutige Gesellschaft hat viele Regeln.Today's society has many rules.
Eine zivile Gesellschaft braucht Demokratie.A civil society needs democracy.
Keine perfekte Gesellschaft ist ohne Probleme.No perfect society is without problems.
Akkusativ
Wir analysieren die digitale Gesellschaft.We analyze the digital society.
Er kritisiert eine kapitalistische Gesellschaft.He criticizes a capitalistic society.
Ich sehe hier keine offene Gesellschaft.I see no open society here.
Dativ
Ich lebe in der deutschen Gesellschaft.I live in the German society.
Sie gehört einer exklusiven Gesellschaft an.She belongs to an exclusive society.
Er fühlt sich in keiner neuen Gesellschaft wohl.He feels comfortable in no new society.
Genitiv
Die Entwicklung der modernen Gesellschaft ist schnell.The development of modern society is fast.
Das ist ein Merkmal einer freien Gesellschaft.That is a feature of a free society.
Die Regeln keiner modernen Gesellschaft sind perfekt.The rules of no modern society are perfect.

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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 Gesellschaft?

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

The German noun Gesellschaft is categorized as Intermediate (B1) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.

What is the plural of die Gesellschaft?

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

What does die Gesellschaft mean in English?

The German word die Gesellschaft translates to “society, company” in English.

How do you decline die Gesellschaft?

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

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.