Why does the noun Stunde 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 Stunde

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativdie Stundeeine Stundekeine Stunde
Akkusativdie Stundeeine Stundekeine Stunde
Dativder Stundeeiner Stundekeiner Stunde
Genitivder Stundeeiner Stundekeiner Stunde

Examples in context

Real sentences using Stunde in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
Die nächste Stunde beginnt gleich.The next hour begins soon.
Eine ganze Stunde ist schon vorbei.A whole hour has already passed.
Keine späte Stunde passt mir.No late hour suits me.
Akkusativ
Ich nehme die freie Stunde.I am taking the free hour.
Wir brauchen eine kurze Stunde.We need a short hour.
Ich habe keine einzige Stunde Zeit.I don't have a single hour of time.
Dativ
Nach der langen Stunde gehe ich.I am leaving after the long hour.
Er kommt in einer halben Stunde.He is coming in half an hour.
Mit keiner einzigen Stunde ist es nicht getan.It's not done with a single hour.
Genitiv
Das Ende der letzten Stunde ist nah.The end of the last hour is near.
Während einer ganzen Stunde schlief er.He slept during a whole hour.
Wegen keiner verlorenen Stunde warte ich nicht.I am not waiting because of any lost hour.

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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 Stunde?

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

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

What is the plural of die Stunde?

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

What does die Stunde mean in English?

The German word die Stunde translates to “hour” in English.

How do you decline die Stunde?

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

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.