noun
kindergarten, nursery school
A1
Means 'kindergarten' or 'nursery school'. Noun: der Kindergarten. Plural Kindergärten (Umlaut + -er). Declension: der Kindergarten (nom. sg), die Kindergärten (pl). Shows umlaut irregular plural. Common for early childhood education; no special preposition requirement. Genitive and dative forms: des Kindergartens, dem Kindergarten; plural genitive der Kindergärten.
Examples
Mein Sohn geht seit einem Jahr in den Kindergarten.
My son has been going to kindergarten for a year.
Der Kindergarten ist um acht Uhr geöffnet.
The kindergarten opens at eight o'clock.
Meine Tochter geht in den Kindergarten.
My daughter goes to nursery school.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture small children playing with blocks under a sign 'Kindergarten'
same as English 'kindergarten'
der Kindergarten — imagine a building (masculine) with kids
Notes
Compound noun; plural often 'Kindergärten'.