Why does the noun Gurke 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 Gurke
How it changes across the four cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | die Gurke | eine Gurke | keine Gurke |
| Akkusativ | die Gurke | eine Gurke | keine Gurke |
| Dativ | der Gurke | einer Gurke | keiner Gurke |
| Genitiv | der Gurke | einer Gurke | keiner Gurke |
| Nominativ | die Gurken | Gurken | keine Gurken |
| Akkusativ | die Gurken | Gurken | keine Gurken |
| Dativ | den Gurken | Gurken | keinen Gurken |
| Genitiv | der Gurken | Gurken | keiner Gurken |
Examples in context
Real sentences using Gurke in different cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | Die grüne Gurke ist lang.The green cucumber is long. | Eine frische Gurke liegt im Korb.A fresh cucumber lies in the basket. | Keine weiche Gurke ist knackig.No soft cucumber is crunchy. |
| Akkusativ | Ich esse die grüne Gurke gern.I like to eat the green cucumber. | Ich kaufe eine frische Gurke.I buy a fresh cucumber. | Ich sehe keine weiche Gurke.I see no soft cucumber. |
| Dativ | Ich gebe der grünen Gurke Wasser.I give water to the green cucumber. | Ich helfe einer jungen Gurke.I help a young cucumber. | Ich traue keiner alten Gurke.I don't trust any old cucumber. |
| Genitiv | Der Geschmack der frischen Gurke ist gut.The taste of the fresh cucumber is good. | Der Preis einer kleinen Gurke ist hoch.The price of a small cucumber is high. | Der Wert keiner reifen Gurke ist bekannt.The value of no ripe cucumber is known. |
| Nominativ | Die saftigen Gurken sind gesund.The juicy cucumbers are healthy. | Kleine Gurken wachsen gut.Small cucumbers grow well. | Keine alten Gurken sind frisch.No old cucumbers are fresh. |
| Akkusativ | Wir pflücken die saftigen Gurken.We pick the juicy cucumbers. | Wir brauchen kleine Gurken.We need small cucumbers. | Wir finden keine alten Gurken.We find no old cucumbers. |
| Dativ | Ich gebe den saftigen Gurken Wasser.I give water to the juicy cucumbers. | Ich helfe jungen Gurken oft.I often help young cucumbers. | Ich gebe keinen alten Gurken Wasser.I give no water to old cucumbers. |
| Genitiv | Der Saft der saftigen Gurken ist klar.The juice of the juicy cucumbers is clear. | Der Geschmack vieler Gurken ist gut.The taste of many cucumbers is good. | Der Preis keiner alten Gurken ist fair.The price of no old cucumbers is fair. |
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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 Gurke?
It is die Gurke. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Gurke 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 Gurke?
The German noun Gurke is categorized as Beginner (A1) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.
What is the plural of die Gurke?
The plural form of die Gurke is die Gurken. In German, regardless of the singular gender, all plural nouns use the definite article “die.”
What does die Gurke mean in English?
The German word die Gurke translates to “cucumber” in English.
How do you decline die Gurke?
Like all German nouns, Gurke changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:
- Nominativ: die Gurke
- Akkusativ: die Gurke
- Dativ: der Gurke
- Genitiv: der Gurke
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.
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Strong Standard declension — no extra -(e)n. The 96% majority.
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