The idea
Use der Besen for the nominative singular, den Besen for the accusative, dem Besen for the dative, and des Besens for the genitive. In the dative plural use den Besen.
| Kasus | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der Besen | die Besen |
| Akkusativ | den Besen | die Besen |
| Dativ | dem Besen | den Besen |
| Genitiv | des Besens | der Besen |
Meaning and useful combinations
Besen has an unchanged plural. Kehren or fegen is the usual action performed with a broom.
Useful combinations: mit dem Besen fegen; den Besen holen; ein langer Besen. Practise each as a complete phrase; the article belongs to the noun even when an adjective comes between them.
Article check: nominative singular
die Besender BesenThis check asks for the nominative singular: der Besen. In the meaning taught here, Besen is masculine. The nominative plural is die Besen. Learn both forms together; an English translation does not determine German gender.
Examples
- Der Besen lehnt neben der Kellertür.The broom is leaning next to the cellar door.
- Hol den Besen für die Glasscherben.Fetch the broom for the broken glass.
- Mit dem Besen kehre ich den Sand zusammen.I sweep the sand together with the broom.
- Der Stiel des Besens ist aus Holz.The broom's handle is made of wood.
- In der Abstellkammer stehen mehrere Besen.There are several brooms in the storage room.
- An den Besen hängen kleine Haken.Small hooks are attached to the brooms.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic German voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No German device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
Do not transfer the gender of a translated word into German. The basic learning pair is der Besen — die Besen. Besen has an unchanged plural. Kehren or fegen is the usual action performed with a broom.
Try it yourself
___ Besen (der / die / das)
Show answer or example answer
der
der: Besen is masculine.
Plural: der Besen → die ___
Show answer or example answer
Besen
Besen: the plural has the article die in the nominative and accusative.
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Besen (dem / der)
Show answer or example answer
dem
dem: mit takes the dative, giving mit dem Besen.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
___ Besen (der / die / das)
Plural: der Besen → die ___
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Besen (dem / der)
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results in your account and carry on with the story in the game.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Read the six situations, identify Besen and its forms, then complete the article, plural and dative checks without looking at the table.