Singular

das

Universum

Q: Is it der, die, or das Universum?

It is das Universum. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Universum is neuter. You should always learn the article together with the noun to ensure your German grammar is correct.

Q: What is the plural of das Universum?

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

Q: What does das Universum mean in English?

The German word das Universum translates to “universe” in English.

Q: How do you decline das Universum?

Like all German nouns, Universum changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are: Nominativ: das Universum Akkusativ: das Universum Dativ: dem Universum Genitiv: des Universums 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.

universe

Plural: die Universen

Strong

Why does the noun Universum have the article das?

Nouns ending in -um (Latin origin) are neuter. Look at the bolded -um in the noun above — that suffix is the giveaway.

Examples

das Museum (museum), das Zentrum (center), das Datum (date), das Album (album), das Stadium (stadium), das Aquarium (aquarium), das Publikum (audience)

View all words for this rule

Declension table for German noun Universum

How it changes across the four cases.

Case	Definite	Indefinite	Negative
Nominativ	das Universum	ein Universum	kein Universum
Akkusativ	das Universum	ein Universum	kein Universum
Dativ	dem Universum	einem Universum	keinem Universum
Genitiv	des Universums	eines Universums	keines Universums
Nominativ	die Universen	Universen	keine Universen
Akkusativ	die Universen	Universen	keine Universen
Dativ	den Universen	Universen	keinen Universen
Genitiv	der Universen	Universen	keiner Universen

Examples in context

Real sentences using Universum in different cases.

Case	Definite	Indefinite	Negative
Nominativ	Das Universum ist groß.The universe is big.	Ein neues Universum existiert.A new universe exists.	Kein Universum ist klein.No universe is small.
Akkusativ	Ich sehe das ganze Universum.I see the whole universe.	Er erforscht ein unbekanntes Universum.He explores an unknown universe.	Wir wollen kein dunkeles Universum sehen.We don't want to see any dark universe.
Dativ	Er reist in dem weiten Universum.He travels in the vast universe.	Sie lebt in einem eigenen Universum.She lives in her own universe.	Wir glauben an keinem falschen Universum.We don't believe in any false universe.
Genitiv	Die Größe des Universums ist unendlich.The size of the universe is infinite.	Die Entdeckung eines neuen Universums ist {adj2}{adjEnd2}.The discovery of a new universe is exciting.	Die Geschichte keines Universums ist bekannt.The history of no universe is known.
Nominativ	Die Universen sind groß.The universes are big.	Neue Universen existieren.Many new universes exist.	Keine Universen sind klein.No universes are small.
Akkusativ	Ich sehe die ganzen Universen.I see the whole universes.	Er erforscht unbekannte Universen.He explores unknown universes.	Wir wollen keine dunklen Universen sehen.We don't want to see any dark universes.
Dativ	Er reist in den weiten Universen.He travels in the vast universes.	Sie lebt in eigenen Universen.She lives in her own universes.	Wir glauben an keinen falschen Universen.We don't believe in any false universes.
Genitiv	Die Größe der Universen ist unendlich.The size of the universes is infinite.	Die Entdeckung neuer Universen ist {adj2}{adjEnd2}.The discovery of many new universes is exciting.	Die Geschichte keiner Universen ist bekannt.The history of no universes is 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 Universum?

It is das Universum. In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Universum is neuter. You should always learn the article together with the noun to ensure your German grammar is correct.

What is the plural of das Universum?

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

What does das Universum mean in English?

The German word das Universum translates to “universe” in English.

How do you decline das Universum?

Like all German nouns, Universum changes its article depending on the case. In the singular, the forms are:

Nominativ: das Universum
Akkusativ: das Universum
Dativ: dem Universum
Genitiv: des Universums

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.