German Grammar – the date (time) 🇩🇪

____ Datum

In German, “Datum” is a neuter noun, which means “the date” in English. The definite article for neuter nouns in the nominative case (which is the case used for the subject of a sentence) is “das”. Therefore, when you want to say “the date” in German, you combine “das” with “Datum” to make “das Datum.”

In addition, German has three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter, each with its corresponding definite articles—der (masculine), die (feminine), and das (neuter). The article must agree with the gender and the case of the noun it accompanies.

It’s worth noting that in the accusative case (the case used for the direct object of a sentence), “das” would still be used with “Datum” since the definite article for neuter nouns does not change in the accusative case, remaining “das.”

This rule applies to other neuter nouns as well, where “das” is used as the article in both nominative and accusative cases. For instance, “das Kind” (the child), “das Buch” (the book), or “das Haus” (the house).

When combined with the noun “Datum,” the correct form in the nominative case (as the subject) is “das Datum.” If you wanted to use “Datum” as the direct object (in the accusative case), you would still say “das Datum.”

a few seconds ago

____ Datum

In the phrase “____ Datum,” you are looking to fill in the blank with the correct German definite article for “Datum,” which is a neuter noun (das Datum). The German language has three genders for nouns — masculine, feminine, and neuter — and each gender has its corresponding definite article: “der” for masculine, “die” for feminine, and “das” for neuter nouns.

Since “Datum” is neuter, the correct article to use is “das.” Thus, when translated, “____ Datum” becomes “das Datum,” which means “the date.”

In German, every noun is capitalized, which is why “Datum” is capitalized in both the blank phrase and the completed phrase. Understanding the gender of each noun is vital in German because it affects not only the choice of article but also adjective endings and pronoun forms. For beginners, it is often necessary to memorize the gender of each noun along with the word itself, as the gender does not always follow a logical pattern and can be quite arbitrary.

To correctly use German articles and nouns in sentences, remember that the article must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it is describing. The nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence or when identifying the noun after a form of “to be” (sein). In this instance, “das Datum” could be the subject of a sentence or follow a form of sein, and hence, “das” is in the nominative case and singular form, to match “Datum.”

11 minutes ago