"Hals" is masculine in German — the correct article is der. The plural is die Hälse. In English, Hals means "neck" or "throat".
Gender rule: der Hals is masculine. Body part nouns in German have mixed genders — der Hals, die Hand, das Knie — so there is no reliable ending-based rule here. The safest approach is always to learn every noun with its article from the start. See all gender patterns in the Article Rules and a full overview at the german articles.
Der Hals is an A1 vocabulary word that every German learner needs early on. It refers to both the neck (the external body part) and the throat (the internal passage) — context usually makes the meaning clear. It is also a useful example for the masculine declension pattern with an umlaut plural: die Hälse. Understanding how cases work with masculine nouns like der Hals is an important step at A1 level. For more body part nouns, also see der Arm, das Gesicht, and das Herz.
Hals — Declension Table
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der Hals | die Hälse |
| Genitive | des Halses | der Hälse |
| Dative | dem Hals | den Hälsen |
| Accusative | den Hals | die Hälse |
Example Sentences with Hals
Sein Hals ist nach dem langen Singen heiser und trocken.
(His throat is hoarse and dry after the long singing session.) — Nominative
Sie wickelt den Schal fest um den Hals, bevor sie das Haus verlässt.
(She wraps the scarf tightly around her neck before leaving the house.) — Accusative
Er spürt ein Kribbeln im Hals.
(He feels a tingling in his throat.) — Dative
Die Entzündung des Halses machte das Schlucken sehr schmerzhaft.
(The inflammation of the throat made swallowing very painful.) — Genitive
Die Hälse der Schwäne glänzten weiß im Morgenlicht.
(The necks of the swans gleamed white in the morning light.) — Nominative Plural
Bei Kindern mit entzündeten Hälsen hilft warmer Tee oft schneller als gedacht.
(For children with inflamed throats, warm tea often helps faster than expected.) — Dative Plural
Related Words & Compounds
Word family (Wortfamilie):
- das Hälschen — little neck (diminutive)
Common compounds (Komposita):
- die Halskette — necklace
- die Halsschmerzen (plural) — sore throat
- das Halstuch — neckerchief / neck scarf
- der Halsausschnitt — neckline
Common Mistake with Hals
❌ Common mistake: Ich habe Schmerzen in meinen Halsen.
✅ Correct: Ich habe Schmerzen in meinem Hals. (singular) or Die Schwäne haben lange Hälse. (plural)
💡 Why: The plural of der Hals is die Hälse — not Halsen. The plural adds an umlaut (a → ä) and -e. The form Hälsen does exist, but only as the dative plural: bei Kindern mit entzündeten Hälsen. As a standalone plural, always use die Hälse. Note also that for throat pain, German almost always uses the singular: mein Hals tut weh or Halsschmerzen.
Quick Quiz: Test Your Knowledge
Can you get all three right? Apply what you've learned above.
1. Sie wickelt den Schal um ___ Hals.
- A) der
- B) dem
- C) den
Check Answer
The preposition um always takes the accusative case. She wraps the scarf around her neck — um den Hals. For masculine nouns, the accusative article is den. Option A) der is nominative. Option B) dem is the dative article for masculine nouns.
2. Die Entzündung ___ Halses machte das Schlucken schmerzhaft.
- A) dem
- B) der
- C) des
Check Answer
"Die Entzündung ___ Halses" — whose inflammation? The throat's. This is a possession relationship expressed with the genitive case. For masculine nouns, the genitive article is des and the noun adds -es: des Halses. Option A) dem is dative. Option B) der is the genitive article for feminine nouns.
3. Ein steif___ Hals nach dem Schlafen ist sehr unangenehm.
- A) -e
- B) -en
- C) -er
Check Answer
After an indefinite article in the nominative with a masculine noun, the adjective ending is -er: ein steifer Hals. Because ein does not carry a visible masculine signal in the nominative (it looks the same as neuter ein), the adjective must carry the gender signal — this is the strong ending -er. Option A) -e is used after a definite article in the nominative. Option B) -en is the weak ending used in most other case-gender combinations.
Want to drill more nouns like this? The Article Trainer gives you 600+ nouns to practice — pick the article, get instant feedback, and stop guessing.
More Body Part Nouns
- der Arm — the arm
- der Bauch — the belly / stomach
- das Bein — the leg
- der Finger — the finger
- das Gesicht — the face
- das Herz — the heart
- der Kopf — the head
For the full list with articles and plurals, see the Body Parts Vocabulary page. You can also browse more topic-based word lists in the German Vocabulary Overview and test yourself with the Vocabulary Quizzes.
Is it der, die, or das Hals? Practice makes perfect.
The Article Trainer gives you 600+ nouns to drill — from everyday vocabulary to family, food, and much more. Pick the article, get instant feedback, and stop guessing.
Practice German Articles →Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hals masculine, feminine, or neuter in German?
Hals is masculine — the correct article is der. Body part nouns in German have mixed genders, so there is no reliable rule to predict them. The best habit is always to learn every noun with its article from the start. For a full overview of gender patterns, see the Article Rules.
What is the plural of Hals in German?
The plural is die Hälse — the vowel takes an umlaut (a → ä) and -e is added. Do not use Halsen as a standalone plural — Hälsen is only correct in the dative plural: bei entzündeten Hälsen. In everyday German, throat pain is almost always expressed in the singular: Halsschmerzen or mein Hals tut weh.
What is the difference between Hals and Nacken in German?
Der Hals refers to the neck as a whole — both the front (throat) and the general area — and is the everyday word in most contexts. Der Nacken refers specifically to the back of the neck. So if you have a stiff neck from sleeping badly, you would say mein Nacken ist steif (the back of the neck is affected), whereas a sore throat is Halsschmerzen. The two words overlap in some contexts but are not interchangeable.
What is the genitive of der Hals?
The genitive singular is des Halses. Masculine nouns add -es or -s in the genitive singular — for der Hals, the longer form des Halses is standard. See the Cases Overview for more detail.
