The idea
Use das Lineal for the nominative singular, das Lineal for the accusative, dem Lineal for the dative, and des Lineals for the genitive. In the dative plural use den Linealen.
| Kasus | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | das Lineal | die Lineale |
| Akkusativ | das Lineal | die Lineale |
| Dativ | dem Lineal | den Linealen |
| Genitiv | des Lineals | der Lineale |
Meaning and useful combinations
Lineal is neuter and forms Lineale. Messen means measuring; eine Linie ziehen describes drawing a line.
Useful combinations: mit dem Lineal messen; eine gerade Linie; das Geodreieck. Practise each as a complete phrase; the article belongs to the noun even when an adjective comes between them.
Article check: nominative singular
die Linealdas LinealThis check asks for the nominative singular: das Lineal. In the meaning taught here, Lineal is neuter. The nominative plural is die Lineale. Learn both forms together; an English translation does not determine German gender.
Examples
- Das Lineal ist dreißig Zentimeter lang.The ruler is thirty centimeters long.
- Ich lege das Lineal an die untere Kante.I place the ruler against the bottom edge.
- Mit dem Lineal ziehe ich eine gerade Linie.I draw a straight line with the ruler.
- Die Skala des Lineals beginnt genau am Rand.The ruler's scale starts exactly at the edge.
- Die Lineale im Schrank sind aus Holz und Kunststoff.The rulers in the cupboard are made of wood and plastic.
- Auf den Linealen sind Millimeterstriche eingezeichnet.Millimeter marks are shown on the rulers.
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 das Lineal — die Lineale. Lineal is neuter and forms Lineale. Messen means measuring; eine Linie ziehen describes drawing a line.
Try it yourself
___ Lineal (der / die / das)
Show answer or example answer
das
das: Lineal is neuter.
Plural: das Lineal → die ___
Show answer or example answer
Lineale
Lineale: the plural has the article die in the nominative and accusative.
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Lineal (dem / der)
Show answer or example answer
dem
dem: mit takes the dative, giving mit dem Lineal.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
___ Lineal (der / die / das)
Plural: das Lineal → die ___
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Lineal (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 Lineal and its forms, then complete the article, plural and dative checks without looking at the table.