die
Metallplatte
⚙️ What exactly is a Metallplatte?
Die Metallplatte is a flat, usually rectangular piece of metal. It can be made from various metals like Stahl (steel), Aluminium (aluminum), Kupfer (copper), or Messing (brass) and serves diverse purposes in Technik (technology/engineering), Bauwesen (construction), and Handwerk (craft/trade).
It's a compound word formed from Metall (metal) and Platte (plate/sheet). Since Platte is feminine (die Platte), die Metallplatte is also feminine.
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 Metallplatte
The noun "Metallplatte" is feminine. The article is die.
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Metallplatte |
| Genitive | der | Metallplatte |
| Dative | der | Metallplatte |
| Accusative | die | Metallplatte |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Metallplatten |
| Genitive | der | Metallplatten |
| Dative | den | Metallplatten |
| Accusative | die | Metallplatten |
📌 Example Sentences
- Der Schweißer verband zwei Metallplatten miteinander.
(The welder joined two metal plates together.) - Eine dicke Metallplatte schützte den Eingang.
(A thick metal plate protected the entrance.) - Auf der Metallplatte waren Gravuren zu sehen.
(Engravings were visible on the metal plate.) - Wir benötigen mehrere Metallplatten für die Konstruktion.
(We need several metal plates for the construction.)
🛠️ Everyday Usage
The term Metallplatte is frequently used in technical and craft-related contexts.
- Bauwesen (Construction): As reinforcement, cover, or connecting element.
- Maschinenbau (Mechanical Engineering): As part of housings, machine beds, or workpieces.
- Handwerk (Craft/Trade): For signs, as a base, or for crafting.
- Kunst (Art): As a base for sculptures or printmaking (e.g., etching).
Compared to Blech (sheet metal), a Metallplatte is often thicker and more stable, although the distinction can be fluid. Blech is typically thinner and more flexible.
🧠 Mnemonics
Remembering the Article: Platte (plate/sheet) is feminine (die Platte). Think of a flat serving plate – many feminine-associated things might be placed on it, helping remember die Platte, and thus die Metallplatte.
Remembering the Meaning: Imagine metal being hammered until it's totally flat – a Metallplatte!
↔️ Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar Meaning)
Antonyms (Conceptual Opposites)
- Metallstab / Metallstange: Elongated, not flat. (Metal rod / metal bar)
- Metallgitter: Has openings, not solid. (Metal grid/grate)
- Loch / Aussparung: The absence of material in a plate. (Hole / cutout)
⚠️ Similar but Different Words
😄 A Little Joke
Warum hat die Metallplatte nie Geheimnisse?
Weil sie immer alles glatt rauslässt! 😉
(Why does the metal plate never have secrets?
Because it always lets everything out smoothly/flatly!) ('glatt' means smooth/flat)
✍️ Poem about the Metallplatte
Aus Erz geschmolzen, hart und kühl,
liegt sie da, erfüllt ihr Ziel.
Die Metallplatte, stark und breit,
bereit für Arbeit, jederzeit.
Mal glänzend blank, mal grau, mal matt,
im Bau, im Werk, in jeder Stadt.
(Melted from ore, hard and cool,
it lies there, fulfilling its goal.
The metal plate, strong and wide,
ready for work, anytime.
Sometimes shiny bright, sometimes gray, sometimes matte,
in construction, in the factory, in every city.)
❓ Riddle
Ich bin flach, doch sehr stabil,
aus Eisen, Stahl, das ist mein Stil.
Man schweißt mich, bohrt mich, biegt mich kaum,
in Werkstatt, Bau, erfüll ich manchen Traum.
Wer bin ich?
(I am flat, yet very stable,
of iron, steel, that is my style.
I'm welded, drilled, hardly bent,
in workshop, construction, I fulfill many a dream.
Who am I?)
(Solution: die Metallplatte)
🧐 Trivia
Word Composition
The word "Metallplatte" is a compound noun, composed of:
The gender of the compound word is determined by the last noun: die Platte → die Metallplatte.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Metallplatte?
The word "Metallplatte" is feminine. The correct article is die. So, you say: die Metallplatte. The plural is: die Metallplatten.