Singular
Zivilist
civilian
Why does the noun Zivilist have the article der?
Nouns ending in -ist (usually people) are masculine. Look at the bolded -ist in the noun above — that suffix is the giveaway.
Examples
der Polizist (policeman), der Tourist (tourist), der Journalist (journalist), der Pianist (pianist), der Optimist (optimist), der Spezialist (specialist)
Declension table for German noun Zivilist
How it changes across the four cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der Zivilist | ein Zivilist | — |
| Akkusativ | den Zivilist | einen Zivilist | — |
| Dativ | dem Zivilist | einem Zivilist | — |
| Genitiv | des Zivilists | eines Zivilists | — |
| Nominativ | die Zivilisten | — Zivilisten | — |
| Akkusativ | die Zivilisten | — Zivilisten | — |
| Dativ | den Zivilisten | — Zivilisten | — |
| Genitiv | der Zivilisten | — Zivilisten | — |
Examples in context
Real sentences using Zivilist in different cases.
| Case | Definite | Indefinite | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | — | ||
| Akkusativ | — | ||
| Dativ | — | ||
| Genitiv | — | ||
| Nominativ | — | ||
| Akkusativ | — | ||
| Dativ | — | ||
| Genitiv | — |
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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 Zivilist?
What is the plural of der Zivilist?
What does der Zivilist mean in English?
How do you decline der Zivilist?
- Nominativ: der Zivilist
- Akkusativ: den Zivilist
- Dativ: dem Zivilist
- Genitiv: des Zivilists
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.