Why does the noun Idee 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 Idee
How it changes across the four cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | die Idee | eine Idee | keine Idee |
| Akkusativ | die Idee | eine Idee | keine Idee |
| Dativ | der Idee | einer Idee | keiner Idee |
| Genitiv | der Idee | einer Idee | keiner Idee |
| Nominativ | die Ideen | Ideen | keine Ideen |
| Akkusativ | die Ideen | Ideen | keine Ideen |
| Dativ | den Ideen | Ideen | keinen Ideen |
| Genitiv | der Ideen | Ideen | keiner Ideen |
Examples in context
Real sentences using Idee in different cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | Die gute Idee kommt von dir.The good idea comes from you. | Das ist eine tolle Idee.That is a great idea. | Das war keine schlechte Idee.That was not a bad idea. |
| Akkusativ | Ich finde die neue Idee gut.I find the new idea good. | Er hat eine verrückte Idee.He has a crazy idea. | Ich habe keine bessere Idee.I have no better idea. |
| Dativ | Ich folge der originellen Idee.I am following the original idea. | Er arbeitet an einer neuen Idee.He is working on a new idea. | Er hilft mir mit keiner guten Idee.He doesn't help me with any good idea. |
| Genitiv | Der Erfolg der neuen Idee ist sicher.The success of the new idea is certain. | Das ist der Anfang einer großen Idee.This is the beginning of a great idea. | Trotz keiner originellen Idee war es gut.Despite no original idea, it was good. |
| Nominativ | Die neuen Ideen sind super.The new ideas are great. | Gute Ideen sind immer willkommen.Good ideas are always welcome. | Keine neuen Ideen wurden präsentiert.No new ideas were presented. |
| Akkusativ | Wir besprechen die alten Ideen.We are discussing the old ideas. | Sie sammelt immer gute Ideen.She always collects good ideas. | Er akzeptiert keine fremden Ideen.He accepts no foreign ideas. |
| Dativ | Wir arbeiten mit den besten Ideen.We work with the best ideas. | Er hilft uns mit guten Ideen.He helps us with good ideas. | Ich stimme keinen dummen Ideen zu.I don't agree with any stupid ideas. |
| Genitiv | Die Umsetzung der vielen Ideen dauert.The implementation of the many ideas takes time. | Das ist eine Liste guter Ideen.This is a list of good ideas. | Wegen keiner neuen Ideen sind wir hier.We are here because of no new ideas. |
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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 Idee?
It is die Idee. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Idee 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 Idee?
The German noun Idee is categorized as Beginner (A1) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.
What is the plural of die Idee?
The plural form of die Idee is die Ideen. In German, regardless of the singular gender, all plural nouns use the definite article “die.”
What does die Idee mean in English?
The German word die Idee translates to “idea” in English.
How do you decline die Idee?
Like all German nouns, Idee changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:
- Nominativ: die Idee
- Akkusativ: die Idee
- Dativ: der Idee
- Genitiv: der Idee
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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