The idea
Use der Kollege for the nominative singular, den Kollegen for the accusative, dem Kollegen for the dative, and des Kollegen for the genitive. In the dative plural use den Kollegen.
| Kasus | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der Kollege | die Kollegen |
| Akkusativ | den Kollegen | die Kollegen |
| Dativ | dem Kollegen | den Kollegen |
| Genitiv | des Kollegen | der Kollegen |
Meaning and useful combinations
Kollege is weak masculine: den Kollegen, dem Kollegen, des Kollegen. The ending e does not make it feminine.
Useful combinations: einen Kollegen fragen; der neue Kollege; unter Kollegen. Practise each as a complete phrase; the article belongs to the noun even when an adjective comes between them.
Article check: nominative singular
die Kollegeder KollegeThis check asks for the nominative singular: der Kollege. In the meaning taught here, Kollege is masculine. The nominative plural is die Kollegen. Learn both forms together; an English translation does not determine German gender.
Examples
- Der Kollege aus der Werkstatt erklärt den Aufbau.The colleague from the workshop explains the assembly.
- Ich bitte den Kollegen um eine kurze Rückmeldung.I ask the colleague for brief feedback.
- Mit dem Kollegen bespreche ich den nächsten Schritt.I discuss the next step with the colleague.
- Der Vorschlag des Kollegen spart uns viel Zeit.The colleague's suggestion saves us a lot of time.
- Die Kollegen teilen die Aufgaben untereinander auf.The colleagues divide the tasks among themselves.
- Bei den Kollegen kommt die neue Regel gut an.The new rule is well received by the colleagues.
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Watch out
Do not transfer the gender of a translated word into German. The basic learning pair is der Kollege — die Kollegen. Kollege is weak masculine: den Kollegen, dem Kollegen, des Kollegen. The ending e does not make it feminine.
Try it yourself
___ Kollege (der / die / das)
Show answer or example answer
der
der: Kollege is masculine.
Plural: der Kollege → die ___
Show answer or example answer
Kollegen
Kollegen: the plural has the article die in the nominative and accusative.
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Kollegen (dem / der)
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dem
dem: mit takes the dative, giving mit dem Kollegen.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
___ Kollege (der / die / das)
Plural: der Kollege → die ___
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Kollegen (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 Kollege and its forms, then complete the article, plural and dative checks without looking at the table.