Wondering what is the correct article of Vater (father)? Hase is masculine, so it is der Vater.
Why is it masculine? As part of the Der Die Das Book’s Zoo of Rules Methodology, this noun falls under the ‘Gärtner and Tiger rules!
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Why is “Vater” masculine?
Nouns referring to male professions (der Gärtner, der Lehrer etc.) and to male individuals (der Besucher, der Cousin etc.) are typically masculine. Adding to the complexity, certain nouns retain the same article regardless of gender. For instance, der Star can refer to both a male and a female star. Other examples include der Freak, der Mensch, and der Profi.
According to the Tiger rule nouns ending in ‘-er’ are masculine in 67% of the cases. Nouns denominating people derived from a verb are always masculine: fahren der Fahrer, spielen der Spieler. Also think of equipments (der Computer, der Fernseher) or people (der Schüler, der Vater) or everyday objects (der Teller, der Becher, der Pullover) or name of the month (der September, der Oktober).
Declension of “Vater” in German
| Case | Article + Noun | Example Sentence |
| Nominative | der Vater | Der Vater liest die Zeitung.(The father is reading the newspaper.) |
| Accusative | den Vater | Ich besuche den Vater am Wochenende.(I visit the father on the weekend.) |
| Dative | dem Vater | Ich gebe dem Vater ein Geschenk.(I give the father a gift.) |
| Genitive | des Vaters | Die Stimme des Vaters ist freundlich.(The voice of the father is friendly.) |
Short Paragraph Using Different Cases
Here is a short paragraph using different cases for “der Vater” in German, along with its English translation:
German:
Der Vater arbeitet im Büro.
Ich sehe den Vater jeden Abend.
Die Kinder bringen dem Vater eine Überraschung.
Das Auto des Vaters steht vor dem Haus.
English Translation:
The father works in the office.
I see the father every evening.
The children bring the father a surprise.
The father’s car is parked in front of the house.