das
Cover
📖 What does "das Cover" mean?
The word das Cover is a noun borrowed from English and primarily has two meanings in German:
- Cover/Sleeve/Front Page: This refers to the outer design or binding, usually the front, of printed materials or media. Examples:
das Cover eines Buches (the cover of a book) 📖
das Cover einer CD oder Schallplatte (the cover of a CD or record) 💿
das Cover eines Magazins (the cover of a magazine) 📰 - Cover Version (Music): A new recording of a previously known piece of music by a different artist. 🎤
Die Band spielte ein Cover von einem Beatles-Song. (The band played a cover of a Beatles song.)
🚨 Attention: Although it's an English word, it's treated as neuter (sächlich) in German and therefore always used with the article "das".
Article rules for der, die, and das
Many foreign words → mostly neutral.
There are many foreign words, we won't list them all.
🧐 Grammar of "das Cover" in Detail
"Das Cover" is a noun of neuter gender (Neutrum). Like most English loanwords ending in "-er", its plural is usually formed with "-s". However, plural forms without an ending ("-Ø") or with "-n" can also occur, especially for the meaning "cover version". The declension is relatively regular.
Declension Singular
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Who/What?) | das | Cover |
| Genitive (Whose?) | des | Covers |
| Dative (To/for whom?) | dem | Cover |
| Accusative (Whom/What?) | das | Cover |
Declension Plural
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Cover / Covers |
| Genitive | der | Cover / Covers |
| Dative | den | Covern / Covers |
| Accusative | die | Cover / Covers |
Note: The plural form "die Covers" is the most common and mostly used for sleeves/front pages. "Die Cover" (without 's') or "den Covern" (Dative) is sometimes used for cover versions, but it's less frequent and somewhat debated.
📝 Example Sentences
- Das Cover des neuen Romans ist sehr ansprechend gestaltet.
(The cover of the new novel is very attractively designed.) - Ich erkenne das Lied sofort, aber es ist ein Cover.
(I recognize the song immediately, but it's a cover version.) - Die Band ist bekannt für ihre kreativen Covers von Popsongs.
(The band is known for its creative covers of pop songs.) - Auf dem Cover der Zeitschrift ist ein berühmter Schauspieler.
(There's a famous actor on the cover of the magazine.) - Der Designer des Covers hat gute Arbeit geleistet.
(The designer of the cover did a good job.)
💡 How "das Cover" is Used
"Das Cover" is a very common word in specific contexts:
- Music Industry: People often talk about Album-Covern (design) and Cover-Songs or Coverversionen (new recordings).
- Publishing/Book Trade: The Buchcover (book cover) is crucial for the first impression and sales.
- Magazines: The Cover (front page) is intended to attract attention and encourage purchase.
- Everyday Language: The word is also used in general conversation when discussing the outer design of media.
It's a typical example of an Anglicism that is firmly established in the German vocabulary. Sometimes German synonyms like Umschlag, Titelseite, or Hülle are used, but Cover is very dominant, especially in the music and media sectors.
🧠 Mnemonics for "das Cover"
For the article (das): Think of other neuter things that often have a cover: das Buch (book), das Album (album), das Heft (notebook/booklet), das Magazin (magazine). All these things have das Cover.
For the meaning: A Cover covers something – whether it's the content of a book/album or the original version of a song. It acts like a blanket (English: cover) over it.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar words):
- For Umschlag/Titelseite (sleeve/front page): der Umschlag, die Titelseite, das Titelblatt, der Einband, die Hülle
- For Coverversion (Music): die Coverversion, die Neuaufnahme (new recording), die Neuinterpretation (new interpretation)
⚠️ Similar Words:
😄 A Little Joke
German: Warum hat das Buch geweint?
Weil es zu viele Probleme auf seinem Cover hatte!
English: Why did the book cry?
Because it had too many problems on its cover! (Pun: 'problems' can mean issues/difficulties or plot points/themes)
✍️ Poem about the Cover
German:
Das Cover, bunt und klar,
zeigt, was innen wunderbar.
Von Buch, Magazin, CD,
es lockt uns an, oh weh!
Mal Kunst, mal Foto, schlicht,<r>
es gibt dem Werk Gesicht.
Auch Musik, neu gespielt,
ein Cover, das gefiel.
English Translation:
The cover, colourful and clear,
shows what wonders wait in here.
Of book, magazine, CD,
it lures us enticingly!
Sometimes art, photo, plain,
it gives the work a face again.
Music too, played anew,
a cover, liked by me and you.
🧩 Riddle
German:
Ich bin die Haut von Buch und Plattenspiel,
zeige oft ein buntes Bild als Ziel.
Manchmal bin ich auch ein Lied, ganz neu gemacht,
von einem anderen Künstler über Nacht.
Was bin ich?
English Translation:
I am the skin of book and record fair,
often showing a colourful picture there.
Sometimes I'm also a song, made new again,
by another artist, like sudden rain.
What am I?
Solution: das Cover
ℹ️ Other Information
- Origin: The word "Cover" comes directly from English (to cover).
- Coverband: A band that mainly or exclusively plays cover versions is called a "Coverband" in German.
- Design Aspect: Cover design (das Coverdesign) is an important field in graphic design, especially in publishing and the music industry.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Cover?
The German word 'Cover' is neuter, so the correct article is always 'das': das Cover. It primarily refers to the outer sleeve or front page (e.g., of a book, CD, magazine) or a new version of a song (cover version).