Why does the noun Union have the article die?
Nouns ending in -ion or -tion are feminine. Look at the bolded -ion in the noun above — that suffix is the giveaway.
Examples
die Nation (nation), die Situation (situation), die Religion (religion), die Information (information), die Kommunikation (communication), die Tradition (tradition)
Exceptions
der Spion (spy), der Skorpion (scorpion) - these refer to people/animals
Declension table for German noun Union
How it changes across the four cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | die Union | eine Union | keine Union |
| Akkusativ | die Union | eine Union | keine Union |
| Dativ | der Union | einer Union | keiner Union |
| Genitiv | der Union | einer Union | keines Union |
| Nominativ | die Unionen | Unionen | keine Unionen |
| Akkusativ | die Unionen | Unionen | keine Unionen |
| Dativ | den Unionen | Unionen | keinen Unionen |
| Genitiv | der Unionen | Unionen | keiner Unionen |
Examples in context
Real sentences using Union in different cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | Die europäische Union hat neue Regeln.The European Union has new rules. | Eine politische Union ist das Ziel.A political union is the goal. | Keine echte Union existiert bisher.No real union exists so far. |
| Akkusativ | Wir unterstützen die bestehende Union.We support the existing union. | Sie bilden eine starke Union.They are forming a strong union. | Ich sehe keine politische Union als Lösung.I see no political union as a solution. |
| Dativ | Er tritt der neuen Union bei.He is joining the new union. | Wir arbeiten mit einer regionalen Union zusammen.We are cooperating with a regional union. | Das Land gehört keiner militärischen Union an.The country does not belong to any military union. |
| Genitiv | Die Zukunft der monetären Union ist ungewiss.The future of the monetary union is uncertain. | Dies ist das Ergebnis einer langjährigen Union.This is the result of a long-standing union. | Die Hilfe keines guten Union ist nötig.It's not possible without the help of any strong union. |
| Nominativ | Die verschiedenen Unionen verhandeln miteinander.The various unions are negotiating with each other. | Neue Unionen wurden gegründet.New unions were founded. | Keine weiteren Unionen haben zugestimmt.No further unions have agreed. |
| Akkusativ | Er kritisiert die großen Unionen.He criticizes the large unions. | Man braucht stabile Unionen für den Fortschritt.One needs stable unions for progress. | Wir wollen keine starken Unionen mehr.We don't want any strong unions anymore. |
| Dativ | Sie verhandelt mit den wichtigen Unionen.She is negotiating with the important unions. | Das Abkommen wurde mit lokalen Unionen geschlossen.The agreement was made with local unions. | Er hat mit keinen gegnerischen Unionen gesprochen.He has spoken with no opposing unions. |
| Genitiv | Die Macht der großen Unionen wächst.The power of the large unions is growing. | Die Geschichte politischer Unionen ist komplex.The history of political unions is complex. | Trotz keiner vorherigen Unionen gab es Konflikte.Despite no previous unions, there were conflicts. |
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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 Union?
It is die Union. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Union 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 Union?
The German noun Union is categorized as Upper-Intermediate (B2) vocabulary. It is considered an essential word for learners at this level.
What is the plural of die Union?
The plural form of die Union is die Unionen. In German, regardless of the singular gender, all plural nouns use the definite article “die.”
What does die Union mean in English?
The German word die Union translates to “union” in English.
How do you decline die Union?
Like all German nouns, Union changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:
- Nominativ: die Union
- Akkusativ: die Union
- Dativ: der Union
- Genitiv: der Union
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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