Why does the noun Nachbar have the article der?

Nouns referring to male persons are masculine.

Examples

der Mann (man), der Vater (father), der Bruder (brother), der Sohn (son), der Onkel (uncle), der Neffe (nephew), der Großvater (grandfather)

Declension table for German noun Nachbar

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativder Nachbarein Nachbarkein Nachbar
Akkusativden Nachbarneinen Nachbarnkeinen Nachbarn
Dativdem Nachbarneinem Nachbarnkeinem Nachbarn
Genitivdes Nachbarneines Nachbarnkeines Nachbarn

Examples in context

Real sentences using Nachbar in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
Der neue Nachbar ist sehr wichtig.The new neighbor is very important.
Ein guter Nachbar kommt heute an.A good neighbor arrives today.
Kein Nachbar ist da.No neighbor is there.
Akkusativ
Ich sehe den neuen Nachbarn dort.I see the new neighbor there.
Wir suchen einen guten Nachbarn für das Projekt.We are looking for a good neighbor for the project.
Er möchte keinen Nachbarn haben, er ist müde.He doesn't want a neighbor, he is tired.
Dativ
Ich spreche mit dem neuen Nachbarn darüber.I am talking about it with the new neighbor.
Er hilft einem guten Nachbarn bei der Arbeit.He helps a good neighbor with the work.
Sie vertraut keinem Nachbarn.She trusts no neighbor.
Genitiv
Der Beginn des neuen Nachbarn ist um zehn Uhr.The beginning of the new neighbor is at ten o'clock.
Das Ende eines guten Nachbarn war überraschend.The end of a good neighbor was surprising.
Der Zweck keines Nachbarn ist unklar.The purpose of no neighbor is unclear.

GET THE APP

Practice der Nachbar in the app

Master der Nachbar (and 5,000+ other German nouns) with quizzes, smart review, and instant grammar tips.

  • 5,000+ nouns with translations in 11 languages
  • Quizzes by level, category, or your weakest words
  • Snap a photo of any German text — extract nouns instantly
Der Artikel app — quiz screen Der Artikel app — grammar rule tooltip

Frequently asked questions

Everything you might wonder about der, die, das — and the Der Artikel app.

Is it der, die, or das Nachbar?

It is der Nachbar. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Nachbar 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 Nachbar?

The German noun Nachbar is categorized as Elementary (A2) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.

What is the plural of der Nachbar?

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

What does der Nachbar mean in English?

The German word der Nachbar translates to “neighbor” in English.

How do you decline der Nachbar?

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

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.