Why does the noun Sprache 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 Sprache

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativdie Spracheeine Sprachekeine Sprache
Akkusativdie Spracheeine Sprachekeine Sprache
Dativder Spracheeiner Sprachekeiner Sprache
Genitivder Spracheeiner Sprachekeiner Sprache

Examples in context

Real sentences using Sprache in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
Die deutsche Sprache ist schön.The German language is beautiful.
Eine neue Sprache ist interessant.A new language is interesting.
Keine Sprache ist einfach.No language is easy.
Akkusativ
Ich lerne die deutsche Sprache.I am learning the German language.
Er spricht eine fremde Sprache.He speaks a foreign language.
Sie versteht keine schwere Sprache.She doesn't understand any difficult language.
Dativ
Ich helfe dir mit der deutschen Sprache.I'll help you with the German language.
Er antwortet in einer fremden Sprache.He answers in a foreign language.
Mit keiner Sprache habe ich Probleme.I have problems with no language.
Genitiv
Die Grammatik der deutschen Sprache ist schwer.The grammar of the German language is difficult.
Das ist ein Buch einer fremden Sprache.That is a book of a foreign language.
Der Klang keiner Sprache ist gleich.The sound of no language is the same.

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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 Sprache?

It is die Sprache. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Sprache 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 Sprache?

The German noun Sprache is categorized as Beginner (A1) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.

What is the plural of die Sprache?

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

What does die Sprache mean in English?

The German word die Sprache translates to “language” in English.

How do you decline die Sprache?

Like all German nouns, Sprache changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:
  • Nominativ: die Sprache
  • Akkusativ: die Sprache
  • Dativ: der Sprache
  • Genitiv: der Sprache

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.