Stiefeln

Stiefeln is the dative plural form of the German noun Stiefel, which means boots. It is not a separate lexical item but an inflected form used in sentences when referring to boots in the dative case. The form can appear with or without an article, for example mit Stiefeln or in Stiefeln.

Grammatical overview

Noun: Stiefel (boot)

Gender: masculine

Declension (singular): der Stiefel, des Stiefels, dem Stiefel, den Stiefel

Declension (plural): die Stiefel, der Stiefel, den Stiefeln, die Stiefel

Bare dative plural: Stiefeln (used after prepositions that require the dative, often without an article)

Common phrases: mit den Stiefeln, in Stiefeln, durch die Stiefel (less common; “Stiefeln” typically appears in the dative plural)

Usage notes

- Stiefeln occurs mainly in phrases where the boots are being described in the dative case, such as after prepositions (mit, in, bei, von, aus) or in contexts where the article is omitted.

- In everyday speech, speakers may use the full form with the article: mit den Stiefeln, in den Stiefeln.

- The word Stiefel covers a range of boot types, including work boots (Arbeitsstiefel), hiking boots (Wanderstiefel), and riding boots (Reitstiefel); Stiefeln as a form of the word simply marks the grammatical case rather than a different meaning.

See also

Stiefel, Stiefeletten, Schuhwerk.