Why does the noun Rolle have the article die?
About 90% of nouns ending in -e are feminine.
Examples
die Lampe (lamp), die Schule (school), die Tasche (bag), die Klasse (class), die Straße (street), die Sonne (sun), die Blume (flower)
Exceptions
der Junge (boy), der Löwe (lion), der Affe (monkey), der Name (name), der Käse (cheese), das Ende (end), das Auge (eye)
Declension table for German noun Rolle
How it changes across the four cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | die Rolle | eine Rolle | keine Rolle |
| Akkusativ | die Rolle | eine Rolle | keine Rolle |
| Dativ | der Rolle | einer Rolle | keiner Rolle |
| Genitiv | der Rolle | einer Rolle | keiner Rolle |
| Nominativ | die Rollen | Rollen | keine Rollen |
| Akkusativ | die Rollen | Rollen | keine Rollen |
| Dativ | den Rollen | Rollen | keinen Rollen |
| Genitiv | der Rollen | Rollen | keiner Rollen |
Examples in context
Real sentences using Rolle in different cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | Die neue Rolle gefällt mir.I like the new role. | Eine Rolle war noch frei.One role was still available. | Keine Rolle ist perfekt besetzt.No role is perfectly cast. |
| Akkusativ | Ich spiele die weibliche Rolle.I play the female role. | Er hat eine wichtige Rolle.He has an important role. | Sie übernimmt keine leichte Rolle.She is not taking on an easy role. |
| Dativ | In der Rolle fühle ich mich wohl.I feel comfortable in the role. | Er gibt einer neuen Rolle eine Chance.He gives a new role a chance. | Mit keiner Rolle war sie zufrieden.She was not satisfied with any role. |
| Genitiv | Der Text der Rolle ist lang.The text of the role is long. | Die Bedeutung einer kleinen Rolle ist groß.The meaning of a small role is great. | Trotz keiner guten Rolle gab er nicht auf.Despite no good role, he didn't give up. |
| Nominativ | Die Rollen sind klar verteilt.The roles are clearly distributed. | Neue Rollen werden gesucht.New roles are being sought. | Keine neuen Rollen sind verfügbar.No new roles are available. |
| Akkusativ | Der Regisseur besetzt die Rollen.The director casts the roles. | Wir lernen verschiedene Rollen kennen.We get to know different roles. | Ich mag keine langweiligen Rollen.I don't like boring roles. |
| Dativ | Die Schauspieler wachsen mit den Rollen.The actors grow with the roles. | Er hilft Schauspielern mit schwierigen Rollen.He helps actors with difficult roles. | Von keinen Rollen wurde gesprochen.No roles were spoken of. |
| Genitiv | Die Namen der Rollen sind bekannt.The names of the roles are known. | Die Auswahl guter Rollen ist schwer.The selection of good roles is difficult. | Wegen keiner passenden Rollen sagte er ab.He cancelled due to no suitable roles. |
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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 Rolle?
It is die Rolle. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Rolle 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 Rolle?
The German noun Rolle is categorized as Elementary (A2) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.
What is the plural of die Rolle?
The plural form of die Rolle is die Rollen. In German, regardless of the singular gender, all plural nouns use the definite article “die.”
What does die Rolle mean in English?
The German word die Rolle translates to “roll” in English.
How do you decline die Rolle?
Like all German nouns, Rolle changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:
- Nominativ: die Rolle
- Akkusativ: die Rolle
- Dativ: der Rolle
- Genitiv: der Rolle
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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