The idea
Use die Serviette for the nominative singular, die Serviette for the accusative, der Serviette for the dative, and der Serviette for the genitive. In the dative plural use den Servietten.
| Kasus | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | die Serviette | die Servietten |
| Akkusativ | die Serviette | die Servietten |
| Dativ | der Serviette | den Servietten |
| Genitiv | der Serviette | der Servietten |
Meaning and useful combinations
Serviette is feminine with the plural Servietten. Stoffserviette and Papierserviette specify the material.
Useful combinations: eine Serviette falten; eine Papierserviette; die Stoffserviette. Practise each as a complete phrase; the article belongs to the noun even when an adjective comes between them.
Article check: nominative singular
das Serviettedie ServietteThis check asks for the nominative singular: die Serviette. In the meaning taught here, Serviette is feminine. The nominative plural is die Servietten. Learn both forms together; an English translation does not determine German gender.
Examples
- Die Serviette passt farblich zur Tischdecke.The napkin matches the tablecloth in color.
- Ich falte die Serviette zu einem Dreieck.I fold the napkin into a triangle.
- Unter der Serviette liegt die Speisekarte.The menu is under the napkin.
- Die Ecke der Serviette ist feucht geworden.The corner of the napkin has become damp.
- Für das Picknick packen wir zusätzliche Servietten ein.We pack extra napkins for the picnic.
- Auf den Servietten ist ein kleines Blatt aufgedruckt.A small leaf is printed on the napkins.
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 Serviette — die Servietten. Serviette is feminine with the plural Servietten. Stoffserviette and Papierserviette specify the material.
Try it yourself
___ Serviette (der / die / das)
Show answer or example answer
die
die: Serviette is feminine.
Plural: die Serviette → die ___
Show answer or example answer
Servietten
Servietten: the plural has the article die in the nominative and accusative.
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Serviette (dem / der)
Show answer or example answer
der
der: mit takes the dative, giving mit der Serviette.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
___ Serviette (der / die / das)
Plural: die Serviette → die ___
Dativ Singular: mit ___ Serviette (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 Serviette and its forms, then complete the article, plural and dative checks without looking at the table.