Short answer: Märchen takes the article das (das Märchen). It’s a neuter noun (German: neutral) and means “fairy tale” in English.
Märchen: word facts
- Article
- das
- Gender
- neutral (neuter)
- English
- Fairy tale
- Topic
- Culture and arts
- Yupo level
- Beginner
Check a dictionary
You can also check the article in independent German dictionaries:
Last updated: · Method
Why does Märchen take das?
Nouns ending in -chen (diminutive) usually take das. In Yupo’s list, 11 of 11 such words take das (100%).
See the article rules →Märchen in the accusative and dative
Singular, with the definite article
| Nominativsubject: who? what? | das Märchen |
|---|---|
| Akkusativdirect object: whom? what? | das Märchen |
| Dativindirect object: to whom? | dem Märchen |
