die
Adresse
📍 What does "die Adresse" mean?
The German word die Adresse has several meanings:
- Postal address: The specific details of street, house number, postal code (Postleitzahl), and city/town where someone lives or an organization is located. Example: Ich brauche deine Adresse, um dir das Paket zu schicken. (I need your address to send you the parcel.)
- Electronic address: An identifier for delivering electronic messages, e.g., an email address (E-Mail-Adresse) or an IP address (IP-Adresse). Example: Hast du seine neue E-Mail-Adresse? (Do you have his new email address?)
- Formal address/speech (less common): A formal speech, often directed at a high-ranking person. This meaning is less common today. Example: Der Botschafter hielt eine Adresse an den König. (The ambassador delivered an address to the king.)
- Computing (memory address): A specific location in a computer's memory (Speicheradresse).
🚨 The most common meaning in everyday life is the postal address.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-e/-ee → almost always feminine.
There are many -e nouns, many of which are feminine, but there are also some important exceptions.
📚 Grammar of "die Adresse"
"Adresse" is a feminine noun. The article is die.
Declension
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Adresse |
| Genitive | der | Adresse |
| Dative | der | Adresse |
| Accusative | die | Adresse |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Adressen |
| Genitive | der | Adressen |
| Dative | den | Adressen |
| Accusative | die | Adressen |
Example Sentences
- Kannst du mir bitte deine Adresse geben? (Can you please give me your address? - Accusative Singular)
- Die Zustellung an diese Adresse war nicht möglich. (Delivery to this address was not possible. - Dative Singular)
- Die Verwaltung der Adressen ist aufwendig. (Managing the addresses is complex. - Genitive Plural)
- Wir haben viele neue Adressen gesammelt. (We collected many new addresses. - Accusative Plural)
🗣️ How to use "Adresse"?
- Everyday life: Most commonly, "Adresse" is used for the postal address when asking where someone lives or when sending something.
- Office/Business: Here, "Adresse" often also refers to business addresses or email addresses for correspondence.
- Internet: People talk about the "Adresse" of a website (URL) or an email address (E-Mail-Adresse).
- Difference from "Anschrift": "Anschrift" is often used synonymously with "Adresse" (meaning postal address), but it can sometimes be slightly more formal or refer specifically to how the address is written on a letter or parcel.
Typical Phrases:
- jemandem seine Adresse geben/nennen (to give/tell someone one's address)
- eine Adresse suchen/finden (to look for/find an address)
- unter welcher Adresse bist du erreichbar? (at which address can you be reached?)
- die richtige Adresse für etwas sein (idiomatic: to be the right place/contact person for something)
🧠 Mnemonics for "die Adresse"
- For the article 'die': Many German nouns ending in "-e" are feminine ('die'). Remember: "Die Adresse" – the 'e' at the end helps recall 'die'. Or, imagine an elegant lady (die Dame) giving you her business card with her Adresse.
- For the meaning: Think of how you address a letter to send it to someone's Adresse. The sounds are similar!
You need 'die' right 'Adresse' for the mail to arrive correctly.
↔️ Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (similar words):
- Anschrift: Very similar, often interchangeable for postal address.
- Wohnort/Wohnsitz: Place of residence, can be less specific than the exact address.
- Kontaktdaten: Contact details (includes address, phone, email, etc.).
- URL/Internetadresse: Specifically for websites.
- E-Mail-Adresse: Specifically for emails.
- Standort: Location (more general).
- Anlaufstelle (fig.): Contact point / right place (e.g., "Hier sind Sie an der richtigen Adresse" - You've come to the right place).
Antonyms (opposites):
Direct antonyms are difficult. Depending on context, you might use:
- Unbekannter Ort (Unknown place)
- Keine Adresse (No address)
- Anonymität (Anonymity)
⚠️ Potential for Confusion:
😄 A little joke
Fragt der Richter den Angeklagten: "Ihre Adresse?"
Antwortet der Angeklagte: "Humboldtstraße 5."
Richter: "Mit oder ohne Postleitzahl?"
Angeklagter: "Ohne. Die Postleitzahl haben sie mir beim letzten Mal schon abgenommen."
Translation:
The judge asks the defendant: "Your address?"
The defendant answers: "5 Humboldt Street."
Judge: "With or without the postal code?"
Defendant: "Without. They already took the postal code away from me last time."
📜 Poem about the Address
Die Adresse, klein und fein,
Zeigt, wo du zu finden bist, mein Schatz.
Straße, Nummer, Ort und Land,
Gehalten fest in deiner Hand.
Ob Brief, ob Paket, ob Kartengruß,
Sie findet hin, ganz ohne Stuss.
Die E-Mail braucht sie digital,
Die Adresse ist zentral!
Translation:
The address, small and fine,
Shows where you can be found, my dear.
Street, number, place and land,
Held firmly in your hand.
Whether letter, parcel, or greeting card,
It finds its way, without regard [to nonsense].
The email needs it digitally,
The address is central, you see!
❓ Riddle
Ich habe Straßen, doch keine Autos fahren.
Ich habe Zahlen, doch kann nicht rechnen.
Ich habe einen Ort, doch bin kein Platz.
Ich helfe dem Postboten, seinen Schatz zu finden.
Was bin ich?
Translation:
I have streets, but no cars drive.
I have numbers, but cannot calculate.
I have a place, but am not a square.
I help the postman find his treasure.
What am I?
Solution: die Adresse (the address)
✨ Other Information
- Origin: The word "Adresse" comes from the French verb "adresser", meaning "to direct (to)" or "to address".
- Compound Words (Wortzusammensetzungen): There are many compound words with Adresse, e.g.:
- Postadresse (postal address)
- Lieferadresse (delivery address)
- Rechnungsadresse (billing address)
- E-Mail-Adresse (email address)
- IP-Adresse (IP address)
- Adressbuch (address book)
- Adressaufkleber (address label)
- Idiom (Redewendung): "An die falsche Adresse geraten" means to approach the wrong person or place / to bark up the wrong tree.
Summary: is it der, die or das Adresse?
The word "Adresse" is feminine, so the correct article is die Adresse. It primarily refers to a postal address or an electronic identifier (like an email address).