Why does the noun Klasse 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 Klasse

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativdie Klasseeine Klassekeine Klasse
Akkusativdie Klasseeine Klassekeine Klasse
Dativder Klasseeiner Klassekeiner Klasse
Genitivder Klasseeiner Klassekeiner Klasse

Examples in context

Real sentences using Klasse in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
Die neue Klasse ist sehr groß.The new class is very big.
Eine kleine Klasse lernt Deutsch.A small class is learning German.
Keine Klasse hat heute Unterricht.No class has lessons today.
Akkusativ
Ich sehe die ganze Klasse.I see the whole class.
Er sucht eine gute Klasse.He is looking for a good class.
Wir haben keine eigene Klasse.We don't have our own class.
Dativ
Ich lerne in der neuen Klasse.I am learning in the new class.
Er hilft einer kleinen Klasse.He is helping a small class.
Sie spricht mit keiner Klasse.She is speaking with no class.
Genitiv
Der Name der neuen Klasse ist 1A.The name of the new class is 1A.
Das ist der Plan einer ganzen Klasse.This is the plan of a whole class.
Die Tür keiner Klasse ist offen.The door of no class is open.

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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 Klasse?

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

The German noun Klasse is categorized as Beginner (A1) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.

What is the plural of die Klasse?

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

What does die Klasse mean in English?

The German word die Klasse translates to “class” in English.

How do you decline die Klasse?

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

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.