Why does the noun Personenkraftwagen have the article der?

This noun follows no general suffix rule — its gender is part of the core vocabulary you simply learn alongside the word.

Declension table for German noun Personenkraftwagen

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativder Personenkraftwagenein Personenkraftwagenkein Personenkraftwagen
Akkusativden Personenkraftwageneinen Personenkraftwagenkeinen Personenkraftwagen
Dativdem Personenkraftwageneinem Personenkraftwagenkeinem Personenkraftwagen

Examples in context

Real sentences using Personenkraftwagen in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
Der neue Personenkraftwagen ist schnell.The new car is fast.
Ein roter Personenkraftwagen steht hier.A red car is standing here.
Kein alter Personenkraftwagen fährt vorbei.No old car drives by.
Akkusativ
Ich kaufe den neuen Personenkraftwagen.I buy the new car.
Wir mieten einen kleinen Personenkraftwagen.We are renting a small car.
Er will keinen alten Personenkraftwagen nicht fahren.He doesn't want to drive any old car.
Dativ
Er fährt mit dem neuen Personenkraftwagen.He drives with the new car.
Ich sitze in einem neuen Personenkraftwagen.I am sitting in a new car.
Sie fährt mit keinem großen Personenkraftwagen nicht.She doesn't drive with any big car.

GET THE APP

Practice der Personenkraftwagen in the app

Master der Personenkraftwagen (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 Personenkraftwagen?

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

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

What does der Personenkraftwagen mean in English?

The German word der Personenkraftwagen translates to “car, auto” in English.

How do you decline der Personenkraftwagen?

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

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.