German flag

Countries and regions that keep their article

Most country names in German are neuter and do not use a definite article. When you talk about places like Germany, Italy, or England, you just use the name itself. You travel to them using the preposition nach, and you state your location using in without an article.

However, a specific group of countries and political entities break this pattern. These places are usually feminine, plural, or have an adjective as part of their name. They always require a definite article in German sentences. This rule trips up many English speakers, because English usually drops the article for countries like Switzerland or Turkey.

Word list
AntarktisfA2 Antarctica feminine: in der Antarktis, in die Antarktis NiederlandenA2 Netherlands plural: in den Niederlanden Vereinigte StaatenA2 United States of America plural: in die Vereinigten Staaten Vereinigte Staaten von AmerikamA2 United States of America plural: in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika Vereinigtes KönigreichnA2 United Kingdom neuter: ins Vereinigte Königreich KanarenfB1 Canary Islands plural: auf den Kanaren, auf die Kanaren Kanarische InselnB1 Canary Islands plural: auf den Kanarischen Inseln, auf die Kanarischen Inseln SchweizfB1 Switzerland feminine: in der Schweiz TürkeifB1 Turkey feminine: in die Türkei Antikes GriechenlandnB2 Ancient Greece neuter: im antiken Griechenland Römisches ReichnB2 Roman Empire neuter: im Römischen Reich Tschechische RepublikfB2 Czech Republic feminine: in der Tschechischen Republik Europäische UnionfC1 European Union feminine: in der Europäischen Union MongoleifC1 Mongolia feminine: in der Mongolei PhilippinenC1 Philippines plural: auf den Philippinen RömerreichnC1 Roman Empire neuter: im Römerreich SlowakeifC1 Slovakia feminine: in der Slowakei SowjetunionfC1 Soviet Union feminine: in der Sowjetunion UkrainefC1 Ukraine feminine: in der Ukraine
Motion and Location

Because these countries keep their article, the rules for prepositions change entirely. You cannot use nach to say you are traveling to them. Instead, you must use in followed by the accusative case, just like you would when walking into a building.

Wir fliegen in die Türkei.
(We are flying to Turkey.)

When you want to say that you are currently located in one of these countries, you also use in, but this time with the dative case to show a fixed position.

Ich wohne in der Schweiz.
(I live in Switzerland.)

Other feminine countries that work exactly like this include die Mongolei, die Slowakei, die Ukraine, and historic entities like die Sowjetunion.

Plural Countries

If a country is plural, it always keeps its article. Common examples are die Niederlande and die Vereinigten Staaten, as well as the full formal name die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika.

When talking about location with plural countries, remember to use the dative plural article den and add an -n to the end of the noun if it does not already have one. This is a very common place to make a grammar mistake, so it pays to memorize it.

Sie arbeitet in den Niederlanden.
(She works in the Netherlands.)
Wir reisen in die Vereinigten Staaten.
(We are traveling to the United States.)
Names with Adjectives

Political entities that contain an adjective also keep their definite article. This includes die Europäische Union, die Tschechische Republik, das Vereinigte Königreich, and historic names like das Römische Reich (or das Römerreich).

Because these names include adjectives, you have to apply standard adjective endings. For example, when traveling to the United Kingdom, in and das merge into ins. The adjective then takes the accusative ending -e.

Er fährt ins Vereinigte Königreich.
(He is traveling to the United Kingdom.)

For location, the dative article changes the adjective ending to -en.

Wir sind in der Tschechischen Republik.
(We are in the Czech Republic.)
Watch Out

There are a few special cases. Island nations that are plural, like die Philippinen, follow the article rule but often use the preposition auf instead of in for both travel and location.

Sie macht Urlaub auf den Philippinen.
(She is vacationing in the Philippines.)

Additionally, some masculine countries keep their article. A classic example is Sudan. In German, it is der Sudan. You travel in den Sudan and you stay im Sudan.

Summary

If a country name is feminine, plural, or includes an adjective, it keeps its definite article in German. Remember to drop nach and instead use in plus the accusative case for travel, and in plus the dative case for location.