A List of English to German Translations of the Countries of the World

If you're learning German, it's important to know the names of the Nationen der Welt (nations of the world) in English and German. Additionally, you should learn the Sprache (language) of the countries in the world in both English and German.

Note that most countries are spelled differently in German than English and they may be masculine, feminine, or neuter. It's easiest to simply memorize which gender is associated with which country in the German language as you learn the spellings of the countries themselves. The best way to do that is with a table that provides the names of the countries, as well as the languages spoken in those nations, in both English and German.

Nations of the World (Nationen der Welt)

You'll find detailed information for countries in the index below. All countries are listed with their English and German names plus the main language(s). Most countries in German are neuter (das). Exceptions are noted by f. (feminine, die), m. (masculine, der), or pl. (plural).

When to Use Definite Articles

Nations when listed in German are generally not preceded by definite articles with some exceptions. In German, there are three definite articles: die, der, and das. Note that die is feminine, der is masculine, and das is neuter (gender neutral). As in English, the definite articles are placed before the noun (or their modifying adjectives). In German, however, each of the definite articles has a gender. As you learn the names of countries in German, familiarize yourself with the nations that do require a definite article, as follows:

• Die: die Schweiz, die Pfalz, die Türkei, die Europäische Union (Switzerland, Turkey, the European Union)
• Die Plural: die Vereinigten Staaten (the United States), die USA, die Niederlande (the Netherlands)
• Der: der Irak, der Libanon, der Sudan (Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan)
• Das:  das Elsass, das Baltikum (Alsace, the Baltic States)

This listing includes regions and a multinational group to illustrate when das is used, as well as what article to use with European Union.