Why does the noun Mai have the article der?
Months are masculine.
Examples
der Januar (January), der Februar (February), der März (March), der April (April), der Mai (May), der Juni (June), der Juli (July), der August (August), der September (September), der Oktober (October), der November (November), der Dezember (December)
Declension table for German noun Mai
How it changes across the four cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der Mai | ein Mai | kein Mai |
| Akkusativ | den Mai | einen Mai | keinen Mai |
| Dativ | den Mai | einem Mai | keinem Mai |
| Genitiv | des Mais | eines Mai | keines Mai |
| Nominativ | die Maie | Maie | keine Maie |
| Akkusativ | die Maie | Maie | keine Maie |
| Dativ | die Maien | Maien | keinen Maien |
| Genitiv | der Maien | Maien | keiner Maien |
Examples in context
Real sentences using Mai in different cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | Der schöne Mai beginnt bald.The beautiful May begins soon. | Ein warmer Mai ist angenehm.A warm May is pleasant. | Kein kalter Mai gefällt mir.No cold May pleases me. |
| Akkusativ | Ich liebe den warmen Mai.I love the warm May. | Wir erwarten einen sonnigen Mai.We expect a sunny May. | Man mag keinen regnerischen Mai.One doesn't like a rainy May. |
| Dativ | Er freut sich auf den kommenden Mai.He is looking forward to the coming May. | Sie träumt von einem sonnigen Mai.She dreams of a sunny May. | Mit keinem kalten Mai rechnet er.He doesn't count on a cold May. |
| Genitiv | Die Blumen des schönen Mais sind bunt.The flowers of the beautiful May are colorful. | Die Wärme eines sonnigen Mai ist herrlich.The warmth of a sunny May is wonderful. | Die Kälte keines kalten Mai ist schlimm.The cold of no cold May is bad. |
| Nominativ | Die letzten Maie waren heiß.The last Mays were hot. | Warme Maie sind selten.Warm Mays are rare. | Keine kalten Maie sind beliebt.No cold Mays are popular. |
| Akkusativ | Sie erinnern sich an die heißen Maie.They remember the hot Mays. | Wir erleben viele Maie.We experience many beautiful Mays. | Ich mag keine kalten Maie.I don't like cold Mays. |
| Dativ | Er spricht über die letzten Maien.He talks about the last Mays. | Sie denkt an warmen Maien.She thinks of warm Mays. | Mit keinen kalten Maien plant er.He doesn't plan with cold Mays. |
| Genitiv | Die Erinnerungen der letzten Maien sind schön.The memories of the last Mays are beautiful. | Die Hitze warmer Maien ist extrem.The heat of warm Mays is extreme. | Die Daten keiner kalten Maien sind verfügbar.The data of no cold Mays is available. |
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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 Mai?
It is der Mai. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Mai is masculine. You should always learn the article together with the noun to ensure your German grammar is correct.
What CEFR level is the word Mai?
The German noun Mai is categorized as Beginner (A1) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.
What is the plural of der Mai?
The plural form of der Mai is die Maie. In German, regardless of the singular gender, all plural nouns use the definite article “die.”
What does der Mai mean in English?
The German word der Mai translates to “May” in English.
How do you decline der Mai?
Like all German nouns, Mai changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:
- Nominativ: der Mai
- Akkusativ: den Mai
- Dativ: den Mai
- Genitiv: des Mais
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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