Why does the noun Zeile 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 Zeile

How it changes across the four cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativdie Zeileeine Zeilekeine Zeile
Akkusativdie Zeileeine Zeilekeine Zeile
Dativder Zeileeiner Zeilekeiner Zeile
Genitivder Zeileeiner Zeilekeiner Zeile

Examples in context

Real sentences using Zeile in different cases.

CaseDefiniteIndefiniteNegative
Nominativ
Die neue Zeile ist lang.The new line is long.
Eine Zeile ist wichtig.A line is important.
Keine Zeile ist leer.No line is empty.
Akkusativ
Ich sehe die erste Zeile.I see the first line.
Er liest eine Zeile.He reads a line.
Wir brauchen keine Zeile.We don't need any line.
Dativ
Ich sitze in der ersten Zeile.I sit in the first line.
Er arbeitet an einer Zeile.He works on a line.
Sie hilft keiner Zeile.She helps no line.
Genitiv
Der Inhalt der Zeile ist klar.The content of the line is clear.
Der Anfang einer Zeile fehlt.The beginning of a line is missing.
Der Sinn keiner Zeile ist da.The meaning of no line is there.

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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 Zeile?

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

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

What is the plural of die Zeile?

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

What does die Zeile mean in English?

The German word die Zeile translates to “line” in English.

How do you decline die Zeile?

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

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.