Singular

der

Oktopus

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

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

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

Q: What does der Oktopus mean in English?

The German word der Oktopus translates to “octopus” in English.

Q: How do you decline der Oktopus?

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

octopus

Plural: die Oktopoden

Strong

Why does the noun Oktopus have the article der?

Most Latin-derived nouns ending in -us are masculine.

Examples

der Zirkus (circus), der Rhythmus (rhythm), der Radius (radius), der Bonus (bonus), der Globus (globe), der Virus (virus)

Exceptions

das Genus (grammatical gender), das Tempus (tense)

View all words for this rule

Declension table for German noun Oktopus

How it changes across the four cases.

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

Examples in context

Real sentences using Oktopus in different cases.

Case	Definite	Indefinite	Negative
Nominativ	Der kleine Oktopus ist klug.The small octopus is clever.	Ein roter Oktopus schwimmt schnell.A red octopus swims fast.	Kein großer Oktopus lebt hier.No large octopus lives here.
Akkusativ	Ich sehe den kleinen Oktopus jetzt.I see the small octopus now.	Er fängt einen roten Oktopus heute.He catches a red octopus today.	Wir haben keinen großen Oktopus mehr.We have no large octopus anymore.
Dativ	Ich gebe dem kleinen Oktopus Futter.I give the small octopus food.	Er hilft einem roten Oktopus gern.He likes to help a red octopus.	Ich helfe keinem großen Oktopus.I help no large octopus.
Genitiv	Der Arm des kleinen Oktopus ist lang.The arm of the small octopus is long.	Die Farbe eines roten Oktopus ist schön.The color of a red octopus is beautiful.	Der Wert keines großen Oktopus ist hoch.The value of no large octopus is high.
Nominativ	Die alten Oktopoden sind schlau.The old octopuses are smart.	Kleine Oktopoden fressen Fische.Small octopuses eat fish.	Keine neuen Oktopoden kommen.No new octopuses are coming.
Akkusativ	Sie mag die alten Oktopoden sehr.She likes the old octopuses very much.	Ich sehe viele Oktopoden dort.I see many octopuses there.	Ich sehe keine neuen Oktopoden hier.I see no new octopuses here.
Dativ	Ich gebe den alten Oktopoden Futter.I give the old octopuses food.	Er hilft vielen Oktopoden im Wasser.He helps many octopuses in the water.	Ich helfe keinen neuen Oktopoden.I help no new octopuses.
Genitiv	Die Arme der alten Oktopoden sind lang.The arms of the old octopuses are long.	Das Leben vieler Oktopoden ist kurz.The life of many octopuses is short.	Die Größe keiner neuen Oktopoden ist bekannt.The size of no new octopuses is known.

GET THE APP

Practice der Oktopus in the app

Master der Oktopus (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

Frequently asked questions

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

Is it der, die, or das Oktopus?

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

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

What does der Oktopus mean in English?

The German word der Oktopus translates to “octopus” in English.

How do you decline der Oktopus?

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

Nominativ: der Oktopus
Akkusativ: den Oktopus
Dativ: dem Oktopus
Genitiv: des Oktopus

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.