Why does the noun Woche 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 Woche

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativdie Wocheeine Wochekeine Woche
Akkusativdie Wocheeine Wochekeine Woche
Dativder Wocheeiner Wochekeiner Woche
Genitivder Wocheeiner Wochekeiner Woche

Examples in context

Real sentences using Woche in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
Die nächste Woche beginnt morgen.The next week starts tomorrow.
Eine ganze Woche ist sehr lang.A whole week is very long.
Das war keine gute Woche.That was not a good week.
Akkusativ
Ich nehme mir die ganze Woche frei.I'm taking the whole week off.
Wir planen eine kurze Woche Urlaub.We are planning a short week of vacation.
Ich hatte keine einfache Woche.I did not have an easy week.
Dativ
In der nächsten Woche sehen wir uns.We will see each other next week.
Nach einer langen Woche fahre ich weg.After a long week, I'm going away.
Vor keiner ganzen Woche geht es nicht.It's not possible before a whole week.
Genitiv
Das Ende der ersten Woche ist da.The end of the first week is here.
Während einer ganzen Woche war ich krank.I was sick during a whole week.
Trotz keiner stressigen Woche kam er.Despite not having a stressful week, he came.

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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 Woche?

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

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

What is the plural of die Woche?

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

What does die Woche mean in English?

The German word die Woche translates to “week” in English.

How do you decline die Woche?

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

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.