"Kollege" is masculine in German — the correct article is der. The plural is die Kollegen. In English, Kollege means "colleague" (male). The female form is die Kollegin (plural: die Kolleginnen)."Der Kollege" is an essential word for anyone working or studying in a German-speaking country. It's commonly used in everyday business and work vocabulary and typically learned at A2–B1 level. Like der Junge, it follows the N-Deklination — one of the trickiest declension patterns in German. Below you'll find the full declension, example sentences, and a quiz.
Gender rule: Male persons and male professions are always masculine in German. But careful: "Kollege" follows the N-Deklination, meaning it adds -n in every case except the nominative singular. See all gender patterns in the German Article Rules.
Kollege — Declension Table
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der Kollege | die Kollegen |
| Genitive | des Kollegen | der Kollegen |
| Dative | dem Kollegen | den Kollegen |
| Accusative | den Kollegen | die Kollegen |
Example Sentences with Kollege
Der Kollege ist heute krank.
(The colleague is sick today.) — Nominative
Ich habe den Kollegen gestern im Büro getroffen.
(I met the colleague in the office yesterday.) — Accusative
Kannst du dem Kollegen die E-Mail weiterleiten?
(Can you forward the email to the colleague?) — Dative
Das ist der Schreibtisch des Kollegen.
(That is the colleague's desk.) — Genitive
Die Kollegen gehen zusammen Mittag essen.
(The colleagues are going to lunch together.) — Nominative Plural
Er hat den Kollegen zum Geburtstag gratuliert.
(He congratulated the colleagues on their birthday.) — Dative Plural
Related Words & Compounds
Word family (Wortfamilie): die Kollegin (female colleague), kollegial (collegial — adjective), die Kollegialität (collegiality), das Kollegium (faculty/staff — collective noun)
Common compounds (Komposita): der Arbeitskollege (work colleague), der Studienkollege (fellow student), der Mannschaftskollege (teammate), die Kollegenschaft (the colleagues — collective)
Common Mistake with Kollege
❌ Common mistake: Ich frage den Kollege.
✅ Correct: Ich frage den Kollegen.
💡 Why: "Kollege" follows the N-Deklination. In the accusative, dative, and genitive, the noun must add -n: den Kollegen, dem Kollegen, des Kollegen. Dropping the -n is one of the most frequent mistakes, even among advanced learners.
Quick Quiz: Test Your Knowledge
Can you get all three right? Apply what you've learned above.
1. ___ Kollege arbeitet in der IT-Abteilung.
- A) Die
- B) Das
- C) Der
Check Answer
"Der Kollege" — Male persons are always masculine. In the nominative, the article is der and the noun keeps its base form: der Kollege.
2. Ich habe ___ Kollege___ um Hilfe gebeten.
- A) den Kollege
- B) dem Kollegen
- C) den Kollegen
Check Answer
"Bitten" takes an accusative object (whom?). Masculine accusative = den, and because "Kollege" follows the N-Deklination, the noun adds -n: den Kollegen.
3. Der neu___ Kollege fängt am Montag an.
- A) -e
- B) -er
- C) -en
Check Answer
After a definite article in the nominative, the adjective ending is -e for all genders: der neue Kollege, die neue Kollegin, das neue Büro.
Want to practice more nouns like this? The Article Trainer has 600+ nouns — including work vocabulary and all common N-Deklination words.
More Work & People Nouns
- der Chef — the boss
- der Kunde — the customer
- der Mitarbeiter — the employee
- die Chefin — the boss (female)
- der Praktikant — the intern
- das Büro — the office
- die Firma — the company
- der Beruf — the profession
For more work-related vocabulary, explore the Business German vocabulary list or browse the full vocabulary overview.
Is it der, die, or das Kollege? Practice makes perfect.
The Article Trainer gives you 600+ nouns to drill — including work vocabulary and N-Deklination words. Pick the article, get instant feedback, and stop guessing.
Practice German Articles →Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kollege masculine, feminine, or neuter in German?
Kollege is masculine — the correct article is der. It refers specifically to a male colleague. The female form is die Kollegin (plural: die Kolleginnen). In modern German, you'll often see the inclusive form "Kolleg*innen" or "Kolleg:innen" in written communication.
What is the plural of Kollege?
The plural is die Kollegen. Note that this form looks identical to the accusative, dative, and genitive singular — only the article tells you whether it's singular or plural. Context usually makes it clear.
Why does Kollege change to Kollegen in the accusative?
Because "Kollege" follows the N-Deklination (weak declension). Masculine nouns ending in -e that refer to people almost always follow this pattern — they add -n in every case except the nominative. Other examples: der Junge (boy), der Kunde (customer), der Neffe (nephew), der Experte (expert).
What is the difference between Kollege and Mitarbeiter?
Der Kollege means "colleague" — someone you work with at the same level or in the same team. Der Mitarbeiter means "employee" or "staff member" — it emphasizes the employment relationship rather than the peer relationship. Your Mitarbeiter might not be your Kollege if they work in a completely different department.
