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Fünfzehn
🔢 What does 'Fünfzehn' mean?
Fünfzehn is the German word for the cardinal number 15 (fifteen).
It can be used in two ways:
- As an invariable numeral: fünfzehn Äpfel (fifteen apples), ich bin fünfzehn Jahre alt (I am fifteen years old). In this form, it is not declined and has no article.
- As a nominalized numeral (noun): die Fünfzehn. In this case, it refers to the digit 15 itself, a grade (often a poor one in certain school systems), a house number, a route number (bus, train), or similar. It is then treated as a feminine noun and declined.
🚨 Attention: Don't confuse fünfzehn (15) with fünfzig (50)!
Article rules for der, die, and das
Numbers, calculations → almost always feminine.
Caution: When verbs are turned into nouns, the result is 'das Addieren', 'das Subtrahieren', 'das Multiplizieren', 'das Dividieren'.
📜 Grammar of Fünfzehn in Detail
As a numeral, fünfzehn is usually indeclinable (invariable).
Example:
- Ich sehe fünfzehn Vögel. (I see fifteen birds.)
- Mit fünfzehn Euro kann man nicht viel kaufen. (You can't buy much with fifteen euros.)
When the number is nominalized (used as a noun), it becomes the feminine noun die Fünfzehn and is declined as follows:
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Subject) | die Fünfzehn | die Fünfzehnen (rare, e.g., for multiple grades of 'Fünfzehn') |
| Genitive (Possessive) | der Fünfzehn | der Fünfzehnen |
| Dative (Indirect Object) | der Fünfzehn | den Fünfzehnen |
| Accusative (Direct Object) | die Fünfzehn | die Fünfzehnen |
Example Sentences for Fünfzehn
- As numeral: Das Meeting beginnt in fünfzehn Minuten. (The meeting starts in fifteen minutes.)
- As numeral: Sie hat fünfzehn Kerzen auf dem Kuchen. (She has fifteen candles on the cake.)
- As noun: Er hat im Test leider nur eine Fünfzehn bekommen. (Unfortunately, he only got a 'Fünfzehn' (grade 5, often 'poor' or 'fail', depending on the system) in the test.)
- As noun: Die Fünfzehn ist meine Glückszahl. (Fifteen is my lucky number.)
- As noun: Der Bus mit der Nummer Fünfzehn kommt gleich. (The bus number fifteen is coming soon.)
💡 How 'Fünfzehn' is Used
Fünfzehn is primarily used for counting and stating quantities, age, times, or dates.
- Quantities: Wir brauchen fünfzehn Stühle. (We need fifteen chairs.)
- Age: Mein Bruder wird bald fünfzehn. (My brother will soon be fifteen.)
- Time: Es ist (Viertel nach drei /) drei Uhr fünfzehn. (It's (quarter past three /) three fifteen.)
- Date: der fünfzehnte Mai (the fifteenth of May - ordinal number)
- Sports: Im Tennis steht es fünfzehn beide (15:15). (In tennis, the score is fifteen-all (15:15).)
The nominalized form die Fünfzehn is more specific:
- The number itself: Die Quersumme von 15 ist 6. (The digit sum of 15 is 6.)
- School grade: Mit einer Fünfzehn in Mathe musst du mehr lernen. (With a 'Fünfzehn' (grade 5) in math, you need to study more. - Note: Meaning varies by grading system!)
- Numbering: Nimm die Straßenbahnlinie Fünfzehn. (Take tram line fifteen.)
🧠 Mnemonics for Fünfzehn
Remembering the word: Think of fünf (five) + zehn (ten) = 15. Like 'five-ten' sounds a bit like fifteen.
Remembering the article (for the noun): The number itself is feminine: die Zahl Fünfzehn (the number fifteen). Think of 'the number' (die Zahl) when referring to die Fünfzehn.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
There are hardly any direct synonyms for the number 15. You could describe it:
- dreimal fünf (three times five)
- As an adverb: fünfzehnmal (fifteen times, e.g., fünfzehnmal wiederholt - repeated fifteen times)
Antonyms
Antonyms are other numbers, e.g.:
- vierzehn (14)
- sechzehn (16)
- fünfzig (50) - 🚨 Be careful, sounds similar!
- null (0)
Potential Confusion
- Fünfzig (50): Sounds similar, but means a completely different number. Pay attention to the '-zig' ending!
😂 A Little Joke
Was sagt die Null zur Acht?
"Schicker Gürtel!" 😄
English Translation:
What does the zero say to the eight?
"Nice belt!" 😄
✍️ Poem about Fünfzehn
Zehn und fünf, Hand in Hand,
ziehen fröhlich durch das Land.
Fünfzehn Kerzen, hell und klar,
feiern ein besonderes Jahr.
Im Kalender, Tag für Tag,
was die Fünfzehn bringen mag?
Eine Zahl, nicht groß, nicht klein,
soll heut unser Thema sein.
English Translation:
Ten and five, hand in hand,
travel merrily through the land.
Fifteen candles, bright and clear,
celebrate a special year.
In the calendar, day by day,
what might fifteen bring your way?
A number, not large, not small,
shall be our topic for all.
❓ Riddle Time
Ich bin mehr als ein Dutzend, doch weniger als zwanzig.
Teile mich durch drei, das Ergebnis ist ganz stimmig.
Teile mich durch fünf, auch das geht glatt.
Welche Zahl bin ich, sag mir das!
English Translation:
I am more than a dozen, but less than twenty.
Divide me by three, the result is quite plenty (fits perfectly).
Divide me by five, that also goes smoothly.
What number am I, tell me truthfully!
Solution: Fünfzehn (15)
💡 Other Interesting Facts
- Word Composition: Fünfzehn is composed of fünf (5) and zehn (10).
- Roman Numeral: The Roman representation for 15 is XV.
- Cultural Significance: In some Latin American cultures, a girl's 15th birthday marks her transition to adulthood (Quinceañera).
- Mathematics: 15 is a triangular number (1+2+3+4+5 = 15) and a composite number (3 x 5 = 15).
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Fünfzehn?
Fünfzehn is primarily the numeral for 15 and, as such, has no article and is not declined (e.g., fünfzehn Euro - fifteen euros). When the number itself is used as a noun (e.g., the digit, a grade, a line number), it is die Fünfzehn (feminine).