Singular
die
Literatur
literature
Plural: die Literaturen
Why does the noun Literatur have the article die?
Most nouns ending in -ur are feminine.
Examples
die Kultur (culture), die Natur (nature), die Temperatur (temperature), die Figur (figure), die Frisur (hairstyle), die Prozedur (procedure)
Exceptions
das Abitur (graduation exam), das Futur (future tense)
Declension table for German noun Literatur
How it changes across the four cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | die Literatur | eine Literatur | keine Literatur |
| Akkusativ | die Literatur | eine Literatur | keine Literatur |
| Dativ | der Literatur | einer Literatur | keiner Literatur |
| Genitiv | der Literatur | einer Literatur | keiner Literatur |
| Nominativ | die Literaturen | Literaturen | keine Literaturen |
| Akkusativ | die Literaturen | Literaturen | keine Literaturen |
| Dativ | den Literaturen | Literaturen | keinen Literaturen |
| Genitiv | der Literaturen | Literaturen | keiner Literaturen |
Examples in context
Real sentences using Literatur in different cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | Die moderne Literatur ist sehr komplex.The modern literature is very complex. | Eine gute Literatur bereichert das Leben.A good literature enriches life. | Keine neue Literatur interessiert ihn.No new literature interests him. |
| Akkusativ | Ich lese die französische Literatur gern.I like reading the French literature. | Sie hat eine interessante Literatur entdeckt.She has discovered an interesting literature. | Er versteht keine wissenschaftliche Literatur.He understands no scientific literature. |
| Dativ | Er widmet sich der klassischen Literatur.He dedicates himself to the classical literature. | Sie gibt einer alten Literatur den Vorzug.She gives preference to an old literature. | Mit keiner anderen Literatur ist das vergleichbar.That is comparable with no other literature. |
| Genitiv | Der Einfluss der deutschen Literatur ist groß.The influence of the German literature is great. | Die Geschichte einer nationalen Literatur ist lang.The history of a national literature is long. | Trotz keiner vorhandenen Literatur schrieb er.Despite no existing literature, he wrote. |
| Nominativ | Die europäischen Literaturen sind vielfältig.The European literatures are diverse. | Verschiedene Literaturen beeinflussen sich.Different literatures influence each other. | Keine fremden Literaturen werden hier gelehrt.No foreign literatures are taught here. |
| Akkusativ | Wir analysieren die verschiedenen Literaturen.We analyze the different literatures. | Er studiert asiatische Literaturen.He studies Asian literatures. | Ich kenne keine südamerikanischen Literaturen.I know no South American literatures. |
| Dativ | Ich lerne von den antiken Literaturen.I learn from the ancient literatures. | Er beschäftigt sich mit osteuropäischen Literaturen.He deals with Eastern European literatures. | Sie hat mit keinen unbekannten Literaturen gearbeitet.She has worked with no unknown literatures. |
| Genitiv | Die Vielfalt der weltweiten Literaturen fasziniert mich.The diversity of the worldwide literatures fascinates me. | Das Studium verschiedener Literaturen ist wichtig.The study of different literatures is important. | Anhand keiner alten Literaturen konnte er forschen.He could do research based on no old literatures. |
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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 Literatur?
It is die Literatur. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Literatur 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 Literatur?
The German noun Literatur is categorized as Intermediate (B1) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.
What is the plural of die Literatur?
The plural form of die Literatur is die Literaturen. In German, regardless of the singular gender, all plural nouns use the definite article “die.”
What does die Literatur mean in English?
The German word die Literatur translates to “literature” in English.
How do you decline die Literatur?
Like all German nouns, Literatur changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:
- Nominativ: die Literatur
- Akkusativ: die Literatur
- Dativ: der Literatur
- Genitiv: der Literatur
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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