noun
father
A1
Vater means 'father'. It’s a masculine noun: der Vater. Plural is irregular Väter (umlaut change), genitive singular des Vaters. Standard declension in cases (den Vater, dem Vater). No special preposition; used like English 'father' for familial or formal address contexts.
Examples
Mein Vater arbeitet in einer Schule.
My father works at a school.
Der Brief wurde an den Vater geschickt, weil die Behörden seine Zustimmung benötigten.
The letter was sent to the father because the authorities needed his consent.
Mein Vater ist ein sehr geduldiger Mensch.
My father is a very patient person.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture your father to anchor the meaning.
Sounds like 'father' with a V — remember V is like a small 'family V sign'.
der — imagine a strong 'der' (masculine) figure.
Notes
Basic family vocabulary. Genitive singular typically adds -s: 'des Vaters'.