The idea
Use die Frau for the nominative singular, die Frau for the accusative, der Frau for the dative, and der Frau for the genitive. In the dative plural use den Frauen.
| Kasus | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | die Frau | die Frauen |
| Akkusativ | die Frau | die Frauen |
| Dativ | der Frau | den Frauen |
| Genitiv | der Frau | der Frauen |
Meaning and useful combinations
Frau can mean woman or wife; before a surname it is a polite form of address. Meine Frau commonly means my wife.
Useful combinations: eine Frau ansprechen; Frau Weber; meine Frau. Practise each as a complete phrase; the article belongs to the noun even when an adjective comes between them.
Article check: nominative singular
das Fraudie FrauThis check asks for the nominative singular: die Frau. In the meaning taught here, Frau is feminine. The nominative plural is die Frauen. Learn both forms together; an English translation does not determine German gender.
Examples
- Die Frau mit dem gelben Schal leitet die Führung.The woman with the yellow scarf leads the tour.
- Ich frage die Frau am Empfang nach dem Raum.I ask the woman at reception for the room.
- Mit der Frau aus dem Nachbarhaus teile ich den Garten.I share the garden with the woman from the house next door.
- Die Stimme der Frau ist im Saal gut zu hören.The woman's voice is easy to hear in the hall.
- Die Frauen aus dem Chor proben heute gemeinsam.The women from the choir rehearse together today.
- Unter den Frauen sind mehrere erfahrene Musikerinnen.There are several experienced musicians among the women.
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Watch out
Do not transfer the gender of a translated word into German. The basic learning pair is die Frau — die Frauen. Frau can mean woman or wife; before a surname it is a polite form of address. Meine Frau commonly means my wife.
Try it yourself
___ Frau (der / die / das)
Show answer or example answer
die
die: Frau is feminine.
Plural: die Frau → die ___
Show answer or example answer
Frauen
Frauen: the plural has the article die in the nominative and accusative.
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Frau (dem / der)
Show answer or example answer
der
der: mit takes the dative, giving mit der Frau.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
___ Frau (der / die / das)
Plural: die Frau → die ___
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Frau (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 Frau and its forms, then complete the article, plural and dative checks without looking at the table.