Igel

Q: Is it der, die, or das Igel?

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

Q: What is the plural of der Igel?

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

Q: What does der Igel mean in English?

The German word der Igel translates to “hedgehog” in English.

Q: How do you decline der Igel?

Like all German nouns, Igel changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are: Nominativ: der Igel Akkusativ: den Igel Dativ: dem Igel Genitiv: des Igels 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.

hedgehog

Plural: die Igel

Strong

Why does the noun Igel have the article der?

This noun follows no general suffix rule — its gender is part of the core vocabulary you simply learn alongside the word.

Declension table for German noun Igel

How it changes across the four cases.

Case	Definite	Indefinite	Negative
Nominativ	der Igel	ein Igel	kein Igel
Akkusativ	den Igel	einen Igel	keinen Igel
Dativ	dem Igel	einem Igel	keinem Igel
Genitiv	des Igels	eines Igels	keines Igels
Nominativ	die Igel	Igel	keine Igel
Dativ	den Igeln	Igeln	keinen Igeln
Genitiv	der Igel	Igel	keiner Igel

Examples in context

Real sentences using Igel in different cases.

Case	Definite	Indefinite	Negative
Nominativ	Der junge Igel schläft hier.The young hedgehog sleeps here.	Ein junger Igel sucht Futter.A young hedgehog looks for food.	Kein junger Igel ist im Garten.No young hedgehog is in the garden.
Akkusativ	Ich sehe den jungen Igel dort.I see the young hedgehog there.	Ich finde einen jungen Igel.I find a young hedgehog.	Ich finde keinen jungen Igel.I don't find any young hedgehog.
Dativ	Ich gebe dem jungen Igel Wasser.I give water to the young hedgehog.	Ich helfe einem jungen Igel.I help a young hedgehog.	Ich helfe keinem jungen Igel.I don't help any young hedgehog.
Genitiv	Die Stacheln des jungen Igels sind spitz.The spines of the young hedgehog are sharp.	Stacheln eines jungen Igels sind spitz.The spines of a young hedgehog are sharp.	Keiner Stacheln keines jungen Igels sind spitz.The spines of no young hedgehog are sharp.
Nominativ	Die jungen Igel sind im Garten.The young hedgehogs are in the garden.	Junge Igel suchen Futter.Young hedgehogs look for food.	Keine jungen Igel sind hier.No young hedgehogs are here.
Dativ	Ich gebe den jungen Igeln Futter.I give food to the young hedgehogs.	Ich helfe jungen Igeln im Garten.I help young hedgehogs in the garden.	Ich helfe keinen jungen Igeln.I don't help any young hedgehogs.
Genitiv	Die Stacheln der jungen Igel sind spitz.The spines of the young hedgehogs are sharp.	Stacheln junger Igel sind spitz.Spines of young hedgehogs are sharp.	Keiner Stacheln keiner jungen Igel sind spitz.The spines of no young hedgehogs are sharp.

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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 Igel?

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

What is the plural of der Igel?

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

What does der Igel mean in English?

The German word der Igel translates to “hedgehog” in English.

How do you decline der Igel?

Like all German nouns, Igel changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:

Nominativ: der Igel
Akkusativ: den Igel
Dativ: dem Igel
Genitiv: des Igels

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.