die
Tagesstätte
☀️ What exactly is a Tagesstätte?
The German word die Tagesstätte refers to a day facility or day center that provides care, support, or activities for specific groups of people during the daytime. It is always a feminine noun, hence the article die.
There are different types of Tagesstätten:
- Kindertagesstätten (Kitas): Day care centers for children (including Krippe - nursery/creche, Kindergarten, and Hort - after-school care).
- Tagesstätten für Senioren: Day centers for seniors, providing care and social activities for elderly people needing daytime support.
- Tagesstätten für Menschen mit Behinderungen: Day centers for people with disabilities, offering support and activities for individuals with physical, mental, or emotional impairments.
The word is composed of Tag (day, genitive form Tages) and Stätte (site, place). It literally describes a place where one stays during the day.
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 in Detail: Die Tagesstätte
The noun 'Tagesstätte' is feminine. Therefore, the definite article is always 'die'.
Declension
Here are the declension tables for 'die Tagesstätte':
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Tagesstätte |
| Genitive | der | Tagesstätte |
| Dative | der | Tagesstätte |
| Accusative | die | Tagesstätte |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Tagesstätten |
| Genitive | der | Tagesstätten |
| Dative | den | Tagesstätten |
| Accusative | die | Tagesstätten |
Example Sentences
- Morgen bringe ich meine Tochter wieder in die Tagesstätte.
Tomorrow I'll take my daughter to the day care center again. - Die Tagesstätten in unserer Stadt bieten hervorragende Betreuung an.
The day care centers in our city offer excellent care. - Mein Großvater besucht dreimal pro Woche eine Tagesstätte für Senioren.
My grandfather visits a day center for seniors three times a week. - Der Bedarf an Plätzen in Tagesstätten ist in den letzten Jahren gestiegen.
The demand for places in day care centers has increased in recent years.
ℹ️ How to Use 'Tagesstätte'?
The term 'Tagesstätte' is a somewhat formal or general umbrella term.
- In everyday language, when talking about childcare, Germans more often use Kita (short for Kindertagesstätte), Kindergarten, or Hort (after-school care). 'Tagesstätte' is often used in official contexts or as a collective term.
- For facilities catering to seniors or people with disabilities, 'Tagesstätte' or 'Tagespflege' (day care) are more common terms.
- The key aspect is daytime care. A Tagesstätte does not offer overnight accommodation, unlike an Internat (boarding school) or a Pflegeheim (nursing home) with full-time residency.
⚠️ Be careful not to confuse it with similar-sounding words like Werkstätte (workshop) or Gaststätte (restaurant/pub).
💡 Mnemonics for Tagesstätte
Remembering the Article: The base word is 'die Stätte' (the site/place), which is feminine. Many words for places in German are feminine (die Stadt - city, die Burg - castle). So, it's die Tagesstätte.
Remembering the Meaning: Imagine a Stätte (place) where people go to spend the Tag (day) because they need care or supervision. That's a Tagesstätte.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (depending on context):
- Kindertagesstätte (Kita) (children's day care center)
- Kindergarten
- Krippe (nursery, creche)
- Hort (after-school care center)
- Tagespflegeeinrichtung (day care facility)
- Betreuungseinrichtung (care facility)
- Seniorentagesstätte (senior day care center)
- Tageszentrum (day center)
Antonyms (Opposite Concept):
- Nachtasyl / Notschlafstelle (night shelter)
- Internat (boarding school)
- Pflegeheim (nursing home, residential care home)
- Zuhause / Häusliche Pflege (at home / home care)
Similar, but different words:
- Werkstätte: Workshop.
- Gaststätte: Restaurant, pub, inn.
- Ruhestätte: Final resting place, grave.
😄 A Little Joke
Warum nehmen Erzieherinnen in der Tagesstätte immer einen Stift mit auf den Spielplatz?
Damit sie die Kleinen besser 'zeichnen' können! 😉
(Why do daycare teachers always take a pen to the playground?
So they can 'draw' (zeichnen also means 'to mark' or 'to sign') the little ones better! - It's a pun.)
📜 A Little Poem
Die Tagesstätte, hell und rein,
lädt Kinder, Alt' und Schwache ein.
Von früh bis spät, den lieben Tag,
man hier Gemeinschaft finden mag.
Ein Ort des Spiels, der Pflege auch,
ein fester Halt im Lebensbrauch.
(The day care center, bright and pure,
Invites children, old, and frail, be sure.
From early morn till day is done,
Community here can be won.
A place for play, and care so true,
A steady hold in life for you.)
🧩 Riddle Time
Ich öffne morgens meine Tür,
doch nachts, da schlaf ich nicht bei dir.
Ich biete Platz für Klein und Groß,
wer tagsüber nicht allein sein mocht'.
Mal wird gespielt, mal wird geruht,
Betreuung tut hier allen gut.
Ich bin kein Heim, kein Internat,
nur tagsüber steh' ich parat.
Was bin ich?
(I open my door in the morning,
But at night, I don't sleep with you.
I offer space for young and old,
Who didn't want to be alone during the day.
Sometimes we play, sometimes we rest,
Care here does everyone good.
I am not a home, not a boarding school,
Only during the day am I ready.
What am I?)
Solution: Die Tagesstätte (The day care center / day center)
🤓 Additional Info
Word Formation
The word 'Tagesstätte' is a compound noun:
- Tag: Noun meaning 'day', referring to the time of care.
- -es-: Interfix (genitive -s ending of 'Tag').
- Stätte: Noun meaning 'site' or 'place'.
So, it literally means 'place for the day' or 'day site'.
Specific Types
There are also more specific terms, such as Heilpädagogische Tagesstätte (HPT), which is a therapeutic day care center for children and adolescents with special educational needs.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Tagesstätte?
The noun 'Tagesstätte' is feminine, so the correct article is always die.