The idea
Use der Brief for the nominative singular, den Brief for the accusative, dem Brief for the dative, and des Briefes for the genitive. In the dative plural use den Briefen.
| Kasus | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der Brief | die Briefe |
| Akkusativ | den Brief | die Briefe |
| Dativ | dem Brief | den Briefen |
| Genitiv | des Briefes | der Briefe |
Meaning and useful combinations
Brief means a written letter, usually a physical one. Briefkasten and Briefumschlag take their gender from their final nouns.
Useful combinations: einen Brief schreiben; einen Brief öffnen; der Briefumschlag. Practise each as a complete phrase; the article belongs to the noun even when an adjective comes between them.
Article check: nominative singular
die Briefder BriefThis check asks for the nominative singular: der Brief. In the meaning taught here, Brief is masculine. The nominative plural is die Briefe. Learn both forms together; an English translation does not determine German gender.
Examples
- Der Brief lag zwischen zwei Werbeprospekten.The letter was between two advertising leaflets.
- Ich schreibe einen Brief an meine frühere Gastgeberin.I write a letter to my former host.
- In dem Brief liegt ein kleines Foto.There is a small photograph in the letter.
- Der Umschlag des Briefes ist beschädigt.The letter's envelope is damaged.
- Die Briefe aus dieser Zeit sind sorgfältig geordnet.The letters from that time are carefully organized.
- Auf den Briefen stehen alte Poststempel.The letters bear old postmarks.
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 Brief — die Briefe. Brief means a written letter, usually a physical one. Briefkasten and Briefumschlag take their gender from their final nouns.
Try it yourself
___ Brief (der / die / das)
Show answer or example answer
der
der: Brief is masculine.
Plural: der Brief → die ___
Show answer or example answer
Briefe
Briefe: the plural has the article die in the nominative and accusative.
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Brief (dem / der)
Show answer or example answer
dem
dem: mit takes the dative, giving mit dem Brief.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
___ Brief (der / die / das)
Plural: der Brief → die ___
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Brief (dem / der)
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Read the six situations, identify Brief and its forms, then complete the article, plural and dative checks without looking at the table.