Why does the noun Tonne 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 Tonne

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativdie Tonneeine Tonnekeine Tonne
Akkusativdie Tonneeine Tonnekeine Tonne
Dativder Tonneeiner Tonnekeiner Tonne
Genitivder Tonneeiner Tonnekeiner Tonne

Examples in context

Real sentences using Tonne in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
Die große Tonne ist voll.The big bin is full.
Eine alte Tonne steht hier.An old bin stands here.
Keine leere Tonne ist da.No empty bin is there.
Akkusativ
Ich sehe die grüne Tonne.I see the green bin.
Er braucht eine große Tonne.He needs a big bin.
Wir haben keine leere Tonne.We have no empty bin.
Dativ
Ich sitze auf der großen Tonne.I sit on the big bin.
Er gibt einer kleinen Tonne Wasser.He gives water to a small bin.
Ich stehe an keiner leeren Tonne.I stand by no empty bin.
Genitiv
Der Deckel der alten Tonne fehlt.The lid of the old bin is missing.
Der Inhalt einer großen Tonne ist weg.The content of a big bin is gone.
Der Geruch keiner leeren Tonne stört.The smell of no empty bin bothers.

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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 Tonne?

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

The German noun Tonne is categorized as Upper-Intermediate (B2) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.

What is the plural of die Tonne?

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

What does die Tonne mean in English?

The German word die Tonne translates to “ton, barrel” in English.

How do you decline die Tonne?

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

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.