Do not mix them up
der Sonnenschein
Sonne is the star; Sonnenschein means the visible sunshine and often pleasant weather.
die Sonne
sun
/ˈzɔnə/- Plural
- die Sonnen
Die Sonne scheint den ganzen Nachmittag. The sun shines all afternoon. The four cases
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominativ | die Sonne | die Sonnen |
| akkusativ | die Sonne | die Sonnen |
| dativ | der Sonne | den Sonnen |
| genitiv | der Sonne | der Sonnen |
A memory tip
Two-syllable noun ending in -e, and historically feminine in Germanic mythology (Sol was a sun goddess).
Useful expressions
in der Sonne liegen
die Sonne geht auf
Your own memory picture
A few lines will do.
What does sun look like to you?
- der· blue
- die· red
- das· green
No drawing skills needed.
The word in real life
When Germans say “Sonne”
Sonne can mean the celestial body or its sunlight directly: Wir sitzen in der Sonne.
A tiny dialogue
Benni: Kommt heute noch die Sonne heraus?Will the sun come out today?
Luna: Ja, ab Mittag soll es sonnig werden.Yes, it should become sunny from noon.