Log inSign up

Wir haben zehn Finger.

Wir haben zehn Finger.
We have ten fingers.
From Lesson 62:Parts of the body·German

Breakdown of Wir haben zehn Finger.

haben
to have
wir
we
zehn
ten
der Finger
the finger

Questions & Answers about Wir haben zehn Finger.

Why doesn't Finger have a plural ending here?
In German, masculine and neuter nouns that end in -er, -el, or -en usually don't add a new ending in the plural. Some get an umlaut (like der Bruder becoming die Brüder), but der Finger stays exactly the same: die Finger.
How can I tell if Finger is singular or plural if the word itself doesn't change?
You have to look at the context words around it. In this sentence, the number zehn (ten) makes it clear we are talking about more than one. In other sentences, look at the articles or adjectives, such as mein Finger (singular) versus meine Finger (plural).
Are there other German body parts that follow this same plural rule?
Yes! Other masculine body parts ending in -en or -er work the same way. For example, der Daumen (the thumb) becomes die Daumen and der Rücken (the back) becomes die Rücken.

Learn Wir haben zehn Finger and more in German

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning German →