German country names: Using articles & prepositions
Discover the simple way to express your country of origin, destination, or current location in German. While learning this is generally straightforward, many students face challenges with German country names that require an article. This article will guide you through the process, ensuring you can use them correctly.
Talking about countries in German
Talking about countries in German is pretty straightforward. Most of the time, countries don't need an article and are often considered neuter (das) in German. When you talk about a country with a neuter article, you usually use “aus” for "woher" (from where), “nach” for "wohin" (to where), and “in” for "wo" (where). Let's get into the details.
Recommended study materials on the topic:
German preposition trainer (incl. answers)
A-Grammar: Practice German grammar German (incl. answers)
German self-study book for A1-B1 (incl. answers)
Language game for training the German “Wechselpräpositionen”
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Woher (from where)? = aus + country
If you want to say where someone or something is from, you always use the preposition “aus,” just like you use “from” in English.
For example:
Ich komme aus Deutschland. → I come from Germany.
Das Auto kommt aus Japan. → The car comes from Japan.
Der Musiker kommt aus Frankreich. → The musician comes from France.
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Wohin (to where)? = nach + country
If you want to talk about someone or something going to a specific country, you always use the preposition “nach,” which is like using “to” in English.
For example:
Frank fährt nach Spanien. → Frank is traveling to Spain.
Die Familie fliegt nach Italien. → The family flies to Italy.
Der Bus fährt nach Österreich. → The bus goes to Austria.
Wo (where)? = in + country
If you want to say someone or something is in a particular country, you always use the preposition “in,” just like in English.
For example:
Wir wohnen in Polen. → We live in Poland.
Die Fabrik ist in Portugal. → The factory is in Portugal.
Der Bahnhof ist in Belgien. → The train station is in Belgium.
Remember: If the country is neuter gender, you always use “aus” (from), “nach” (to), and “in” (in) without any article!
Countries that require articles in German
As you might have noticed in the first part of this article, using country names in German grammar is generally not hard. However, when learning about countries, visiting them, or being in them, learners often struggle with the few countries in German that are female (die Schweiz), male (der Vatikan), or plural (die USA).
Why do some countries have genders in German?
In German, the gender of some countries is based on their grammatical endings. For instance, countries ending with “Republik” always use “die” because the “-ik” ending usually needs a female article. This rule also applies to endings like “-ei” in Türkei or “-e” in Ukraine. Other countries use “die” because they are plural in German, like “die USA” or “die Niederlande.” You just have to remember the article for some other countries, but thankfully, this list isn't too long.
Why is it important to know the gender of countries in German?
Knowing the gender of countries in German is essential because these countries often require you to:
Always use an article.
Change the article for the accusative and dative cases.
Use different prepositions than those used for neuter countries.
Woher (from where)? = aus + Dative + country
If you want to say where someone or something comes from, you always use the preposition “aus,” you also need to include the article, adjusting it to match the Dative case.
For example:
Ich komme aus der Schweiz. → I come from Switzerland.
Das Auto kommt aus der Türkei. → The car comes from Turkey.
Der Maler kommt aus den USA. → The painter comes from the USA.
Wohin (to where)? = in + accusative + country
If you want to talk about someone or something going towards a specific country, always use the preposition “in.” Remember to use the country's article in the accusative case (because it's about movement).
For example:
Jens reist in den Vatikan. → Jens travels to the Vatican.
Die Familie fliegt in die Mongolei. → The family flies to Mongolia.
Der Zug fährt in die Niederlande. → The train goes to the Netherlands.
Wo (where)? = in + dative + county
If you want to say that someone or something is in a certain country, you always use the preposition “in.” Also, include the article for the country and change it to fit the Dative case (since it answers the question of where something is located).
For example:
Wir wohnen in der Slowakei. → We live in Slovakia.
Der Flughafen ist in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten. → The airport is in the United Arab Emirates.
Die Kirche ist im Vatikan. → The church is in the Vatican.
Remember: For countries that are female, male, or plural, use “aus” with Dative for "from," “in” with Accusative for "to," and “in” with Dative for "in," along with the right adjusted article!
Complete list of countries that require an article in German
Countries with the male article "der"
der Iran → Iran
der Irak → Iraq
der Jemen → Yemen
der Kongo (but: die Republik Kongo)→ Congo
der Libanon → Lebanon
der Niger → Niger
der Oman → Oman
der Senegal → Senegal
der Sudan → Sudan
der Tschad → Chad
der Vatikan → the Vatican
Countries with the female article "die"
die Demokratische Republik Kongo → Democratic Republic of the Congo
die Dominikanische Republik → Dominican Republic
die Elfenbeinküste → Ivory Coast
die Mongolei → Mongolia
die Republik Kongo (aber: der Kongo) → Republic of the Congo
die Schweiz → Switzerland
die Slowakei → Slovakia
die Ukraine → Ukraine
die Türkei → Turkey
die Zentralafrikanische Republik → Central African Republic
Countries with the plural article "die"
die Bahamas → the Bahamas
die Kapverdischen Inseln → the Cape Verde Islands
die Komoren → the Comoros
die Faröer (Inseln) → the Faroe Islands
die Malediven → the Maldives
die Niederlande → the Netherlands
die Philippinen → the Philippines
die Salomonen → Solomon Islands
die Seychellen → the Seychelles
die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE) → the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika (die USA) → the United States of America (the USA)
Conclusion
I hope this article helped you learn how to use country names in German. Some countries that require an article might be more relevant to your daily life than others. So, it's a good idea to start learning the ones you'll use more often first. Also, don't forget to look into the difference between “im,” “am,” and “um” in German.
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Steffie
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