The idea
Use der Mensch for the nominative singular, den Menschen for the accusative, dem Menschen for the dative, and des Menschen for the genitive. In the dative plural use den Menschen.
| Kasus | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der Mensch | die Menschen |
| Akkusativ | den Menschen | die Menschen |
| Dativ | dem Menschen | den Menschen |
| Genitiv | des Menschen | der Menschen |
Meaning and useful combinations
Mensch is a weak masculine noun: den Menschen, dem Menschen, des Menschen. It can refer to people of any gender.
Useful combinations: ein freundlicher Mensch; Menschen kennenlernen; mit Menschen arbeiten. Practise each as a complete phrase; the article belongs to the noun even when an adjective comes between them.
Article check: nominative singular
die Menschder MenschThis check asks for the nominative singular: der Mensch. In the meaning taught here, Mensch is masculine. The nominative plural is die Menschen. Learn both forms together; an English translation does not determine German gender.
Examples
- Der Mensch hinter der Idee bleibt zunächst unbekannt.The person behind the idea initially remains unknown.
- Ich möchte den Menschen hinter dem Namen kennenlernen.I would like to meet the person behind the name.
- Mit diesem Menschen kann man offen sprechen.You can speak openly with this person.
- Die Geschichte des Menschen beginnt lange vor diesem Treffen.The person's story begins long before this meeting.
- Viele Menschen nutzen den Platz als Treffpunkt.Many people use the square as a meeting point.
- Unter den Menschen in der Schlange entsteht ein Gespräch.A conversation develops among the people in the queue.
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 Mensch — die Menschen. Mensch is a weak masculine noun: den Menschen, dem Menschen, des Menschen. It can refer to people of any gender.
Try it yourself
___ Mensch (der / die / das)
Show answer or example answer
der
der: Mensch is masculine.
Plural: der Mensch → die ___
Show answer or example answer
Menschen
Menschen: the plural has the article die in the nominative and accusative.
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Menschen (dem / der)
Show answer or example answer
dem
dem: mit takes the dative, giving mit dem Menschen.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
___ Mensch (der / die / das)
Plural: der Mensch → die ___
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Menschen (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 Mensch and its forms, then complete the article, plural and dative checks without looking at the table.