The idea
Use die Hand for the nominative singular, die Hand for the accusative, der Hand for the dative, and der Hand for the genitive. In the dative plural use den Händen.
| Kasus | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | die Hand | die Hände |
| Akkusativ | die Hand | die Hände |
| Dativ | der Hand | den Händen |
| Genitiv | der Hand | der Hände |
Meaning and useful combinations
Hand is feminine and forms Hände. Von Hand means by hand; it appears without an article in this fixed phrase.
Useful combinations: die Hand heben; von Hand schreiben; mit der Hand. Practise each as a complete phrase; the article belongs to the noun even when an adjective comes between them.
Article check: nominative singular
das Handdie HandThis check asks for the nominative singular: die Hand. In the meaning taught here, Hand is feminine. The nominative plural is die Hände. Learn both forms together; an English translation does not determine German gender.
Examples
- Die Hand auf dem Foto hält einen kleinen Schlüssel.The hand in the photograph holds a small key.
- Ich hebe die Hand bei der Abstimmung.I raise my hand during the vote.
- Mit der linken Hand halte ich das Brett fest.I hold the board steady with my left hand.
- Die Bewegung der Hand wird langsam wiederholt.The hand movement is repeated slowly.
- Unsere Hände sind nach der Gartenarbeit voller Erde.Our hands are covered in soil after gardening.
- Zwischen seinen Händen dreht sich eine kleine Kugel.A small ball turns between his hands.
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 die Hand — die Hände. Hand is feminine and forms Hände. Von Hand means by hand; it appears without an article in this fixed phrase.
Try it yourself
___ Hand (der / die / das)
Show answer or example answer
die
die: Hand is feminine.
Plural: die Hand → die ___
Show answer or example answer
Hände
Hände: the plural has the article die in the nominative and accusative.
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Hand (dem / der)
Show answer or example answer
der
der: mit takes the dative, giving mit der Hand.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
___ Hand (der / die / das)
Plural: die Hand → die ___
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Hand (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 Hand and its forms, then complete the article, plural and dative checks without looking at the table.