die Elf
eleven
The number 11.
EXAMPLE
Die Elf steht zwischen der Zehn und der Zwölf.
Eleven comes between ten and twelve.
die Elf
eleven
die Elf, die Elfen
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Meanings
die Elf
eleven
A team of eleven players, especially a football team.
EXAMPLE
Die deutsche Elf gewann das wichtige Spiel.
The German team won the important match.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Elf, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Elfen |
| genitive | der Elf |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Elf | die Elfen |
| accusative | die Elf | die Elfen |
| dative | der Elf | den Elfen |
| genitive | der Elf | der Elfen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Context clue
You can usually tell whether „die Elf“ (eleven) refers to the number or a team from the surrounding words: arithmetic and numbers point to the number, while football and players point to the team.
EXAMPLE
Die Elf ist eine Primzahl.
Eleven is a prime number.
Der Trainer stellte die Elf für das Endspiel auf.
The coach selected the team for the final.
Number context
In mathematical or arithmetic contexts, „die Elf“ (eleven) often appears together with words such as „Primzahl“ (prime number), „Zahl“ (number), or „Rechnung“ (calculation).
EXAMPLE
Die Elf ist in dieser Rechnung der fehlende Wert.
In this calculation, eleven is the missing value.
Football collocations
Common expressions for the team include „die erste Elf“ (the starting eleven), „die deutsche Elf“ (the German team), and „die Elf aufstellen“ (to select the team).
EXAMPLE
Vor dem Spiel gab der Trainer die erste Elf bekannt.
Before the match, the coach announced the starting eleven.
In real life
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