Why does the noun Tante have the article die?
Nouns referring to female persons are feminine.
Examples
die Frau (woman), die Mutter (mother), die Schwester (sister), die Tochter (daughter), die Tante (aunt), die Nichte (niece), die Großmutter (grandmother)
Exceptions
das Mädchen (girl), das Fräulein (Miss) - due to diminutive -chen/-lein
Declension table for German noun Tante
How it changes across the four cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | die Tante | eine Tante | keine Tante |
| Akkusativ | die Tante | eine Tante | keine Tante |
| Dativ | der Tante | einer Tante | keiner Tante |
| Genitiv | der Tante | einer Tante | keiner Tante |
| Nominativ | die Tanten | Tanten | keine Tanten |
| Akkusativ | die Tanten | Tanten | keine Tanten |
| Dativ | den Tanten | Tanten | keinen Tanten |
| Genitiv | der Tanten | Tanten | keiner Tanten |
Examples in context
Real sentences using Tante in different cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | Die alte Tante kommt.The old aunt comes. | Eine nette Tante besucht uns.A nice aunt visits us. | Es gibt keine junge Tante.There is no young aunt. |
| Akkusativ | Ich besuche die liebe Tante.I visit the dear aunt. | Er hat eine nette Tante.He has a nice aunt. | Wir sehen keine junge Tante.We see no young aunt. |
| Dativ | Ich helfe der alten Tante.I help the old aunt. | Er gibt einer netten Tante ein Geschenk.He gives a nice aunt a gift. | Sie spricht mit keiner jungen Tante.She speaks with no young aunt. |
| Genitiv | Das Haus der alten Tante ist groß.The house of the old aunt is big. | Der Besuch einer netten Tante ist schön.The visit of a nice aunt is nice. | Die Katze keiner jungen Tante ist hier.The cat of no young aunt is here. |
| Nominativ | Die beiden Tanten sind hier.The two aunts are here. | Viele Tanten leben weit weg.Many aunts live far away. | Keine neuen Tanten kommen.No new aunts come. |
| Akkusativ | Sie besuchen die alten Tanten.They visit the old aunts. | Ich kenne viele Tanten.I know many aunts. | Er hat keine jungen Tanten.He has no young aunts. |
| Dativ | Wir danken den lieben Tanten.We thank the dear aunts. | Er erzählt vielen Tanten Geschichten.He tells many aunts stories. | Ich helfe keinen anderen Tanten.I help no other aunts. |
| Genitiv | Die Kinder der beiden Tanten spielen.The children of the two aunts play. | Die Geschenke vieler Tanten sind schön.The gifts of many aunts are beautiful. | Die Namen keiner jungen Tanten sind bekannt.The names of no young aunts are known. |
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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 Tante?
It is die Tante. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Tante 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 Tante?
The German noun Tante is categorized as Beginner (A1) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.
What is the plural of die Tante?
The plural form of die Tante is die Tanten. In German, regardless of the singular gender, all plural nouns use the definite article “die.”
What does die Tante mean in English?
The German word die Tante translates to “aunt” in English.
How do you decline die Tante?
Like all German nouns, Tante changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:
- Nominativ: die Tante
- Akkusativ: die Tante
- Dativ: der Tante
- Genitiv: der Tante
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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