A1 Animals

der Vogel

bird

/ˈfoːɡl̩/
Plural
die Vögel
Der Vogel singt fröhlich im Frühlingswald. The bird sings joyfully in the spring forest.
The four cases
CaseSingularPlural
nominativder Vogeldie Vögel
akkusativden Vogeldie Vögel
dativdem Vogelden Vögeln
genitivdes Vogelsder Vögel
A memory tip

Nouns ending in -el referring to fauna or tools are usually masculine (der Vogel, der Esel, der Igel, der Löffel).

Useful expressions

einen Vogel haben

der frühe Vogel fängt den Wurm

Your own memory picture

A few lines will do.

What does bird look like to you?

  • der· blue
  • die· red
  • das· green

No drawing skills needed.

The word in real life

When Germans say “Vogel”

Vogel is the general animal term. A specific species might be Spatz, Amsel or Adler.

Do not mix them up

der Spatz

Vogel is the broad category; Spatz is one specific small bird species.

A tiny dialogue

Mia: Welcher Vogel singt da?Which bird is singing there?

Felix: Das könnte eine Amsel sein.That could be a blackbird.