der Neffe
nephew
The son of one's brother or sister.
EXAMPLE
Mein Neffe aus Hamburg kommt uns am Wochenende besuchen.
My nephew from Hamburg is coming to visit us this weekend.
der Neffe
nephew
der Neffe, die Neffen
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Neffe, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance (der)
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Neffen |
| genitive | des Neffen |
The four cases (der)
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Neffe | die Neffen |
| accusative | den Neffen | die Neffen |
| dative | dem Neffen | den Neffen |
| genitive | des Neffen | der Neffen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
At a glance (der)
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Neffen |
| genitive | des Neffe |
The four cases (der)
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Neffe | die Neffen |
| accusative | den Neffe den Neffen | die Neffen |
| dative | dem Neffe | den Neffen |
| genitive | des Neffe des Neffen | der Neffen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
At a glance (die)
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Neffen |
| genitive | der Neffe |
The four cases (die)
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Neffe | die Neffen |
| accusative | die Neffe | die Neffen |
| dative | der Neffe | den Neffen |
| genitive | der Neffe | der Neffen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
At a glance (die)
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Neffen |
| genitive | der Neffe |
The four cases (die)
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Neffe | die Neffen |
| accusative | die Neffe | die Neffen |
| dative | der Neffe | den Neffen |
| genitive | der Neffe | der Neffen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
N-declension
'Neffe' (nephew) is a weak masculine noun (N-declension). This means it takes the ending '-n' in all cases except the nominative singular. This also applies to all plural forms.
EXAMPLE
Ich schreibe meinem Neffen eine E-Mail.
I am writing my nephew an email.
Use with possessives
The word 'Neffe' (nephew) is almost always used with a possessive pronoun (mein, dein, sein, ihr, etc.) to clearly express the family relationship.
EXAMPLE
Sein Neffe hat gerade die Schule abgeschlossen.
His nephew has just finished school.
Expressing the relationship
To clarify the exact family relationship when it is not clear from context, you can use the structure 'der Neffe von + dative' (the nephew of + dative).
EXAMPLE
Das ist Peter, der Neffe von meiner Kollegin.
This is Peter, my colleague's nephew.
Compare with
Neffe vs Nichte
niece
Neffe and Nichte both refer to the child of a brother or sister. Neffe is used for a son, and Nichte for a daughter. What matters, therefore, is the child's gender, not the gender of the sibling.
Neffe
Mein Neffe besucht mich am Samstag mit seiner Mutter.
My nephew is visiting me on Saturday with his mother.
Nichte
Meine Nichte besucht mich am Samstag mit ihrem Vater.
My niece is visiting me on Saturday with her father.
In real life
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