The idea
Use der Rücken for the nominative singular, den Rücken for the accusative, dem Rücken for the dative, and des Rückens for the genitive. In the dative plural use den Rücken.
| Kasus | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der Rücken | die Rücken |
| Akkusativ | den Rücken | die Rücken |
| Dativ | dem Rücken | den Rücken |
| Genitiv | des Rückens | der Rücken |
Meaning and useful combinations
Rücken has identical singular and plural forms. Auf dem Rücken can mean on one's back or carried on the back.
Useful combinations: auf dem Rücken; den Rücken drehen; der Buchrücken. Practise each as a complete phrase; the article belongs to the noun even when an adjective comes between them.
Article check: nominative singular
die Rückender RückenThis check asks for the nominative singular: der Rücken. In the meaning taught here, Rücken is masculine. The nominative plural is die Rücken. Learn both forms together; an English translation does not determine German gender.
Examples
- Der Rücken des Sessels ist leicht gebogen.The back of the armchair is slightly curved.
- Ich drehe dem Wind den Rücken zu.I turn my back to the wind.
- Auf dem Rücken trägt sie einen kleinen Rucksack.She carries a small backpack on her back.
- Die Haltung des Rückens ist auf dem Foto erkennbar.The posture of the back is visible in the photograph.
- Die Rücken der Ordner sind einheitlich beschriftet.The spines of the folders are labeled consistently.
- Auf den Rücken der Bücher stehen kurze Titel.Short titles are printed on the books' spines.
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 Rücken — die Rücken. Rücken has identical singular and plural forms. Auf dem Rücken can mean on one's back or carried on the back.
Try it yourself
___ Rücken (der / die / das)
Show answer or example answer
der
der: Rücken is masculine.
Plural: der Rücken → die ___
Show answer or example answer
Rücken
Rücken: the plural has the article die in the nominative and accusative.
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Rücken (dem / der)
Show answer or example answer
dem
dem: mit takes the dative, giving mit dem Rücken.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
___ Rücken (der / die / das)
Plural: der Rücken → die ___
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Rücken (dem / der)
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results in your account and carry on with the story in the game.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Read the six situations, identify Rücken and its forms, then complete the article, plural and dative checks without looking at the table.