Zwölfte

Zwölfte is the German ordinal form corresponding to the number twelve. It serves two main functions in the language: as an attributive ordinal adjective and as a nominalized noun.

As an adjective, zwölfte accompanies a noun and agrees with its gender and number: der zwölfte Mann, die zwölfte Frau, das zwölfte Kind. In the plural the form becomes zwölften: die zwölften Männer, die zwölften Frauen, die zwölften Kinder. The ending changes with the grammatical context, in line with standard German adjective endings.

As a noun, Zwölfte is often capitalized and can refer to the person or item occupying the twelfth position in a sequence. In this nominal use the gender of the accompanying article or noun determines how it is treated in a sentence: Der Zwölfte im Team oder Die Zwölfte im Team can appear, depending on context and the noun it stands for. The nominalized form is common in lists, rankings, schedules, and formal enumeration.

Pronunciation is approximately ˈtsvœlftə in standard German. The word is formed from the numeral zwölf (twelve) plus the ordinal suffix -te, with typical German orthography such as the ß in zwölf and the final -e when used attributively.

Etymology traces to the combination of zwölf and the ordinal ending -te, a pattern shared with other German ordinals like erste and dritte. Zwölfte thus functions as a basic grammatical tool for expressing twelfth position or order in German.