Grammar Notes - Nouns

Gender Plurals Strong declension Weak declension Test Yourself!

Gender

All German Nouns start with a capital letter and are either Masculine, Feminine or Neuter, eg: the man, the woman, the child = der Mann, die Frau. As you would expect, the Nouns Mann and Frau are classified biologically. Usually however, Nouns are in grammatical categories - so make a point of learning the gender of each new Noun you meet.

Below are some guidelines which help:

1. Masculine Nouns
   • Nouns which are the 'agents' of the Verb, eg: to run/runner - laufen/der Läufer
     to drive/driver - fahren/der Fahrer
   • Nouns ending in -ling, eg: der Frühling
2. Feminine Nouns
   • Nouns ending in -schaft, -heit, -keit, -in, eg:
     die Freundschaft, die Freiheit, die Freundlichkeit, die Lehrerin
3. Neuter Nouns
   • Nouns of foreign origin are usually neuter, eg: das Büro
   • Nouns ending in -lein and -chen, eg: das Bäumlein, das Mädchen

Plurals

Like the gender, the plural of German Nouns is best learned by heart every time you meet a new Noun. Again, there are guidelines to help and here are some:

1. Dative Plural

• In the Dative Plural, all Nouns end in n.

1. Nouns ending in -el, -en, -er
   • No ending, sometimes + Umlaut, eg:
     zwei Deckel, drei Vögel, vier Wagen, fünf Brüder
2. Feminine Nouns
   • Most take n or en in the Plural, eg: die drei Schwestern, die beiden Kolleginnen
3. Neuter Nouns
   • Neuter Nouns of foreign origin take s in the Plural, eg: die Büros

    

For further help, consult a German speaker or a comprehensive Grammar reference work.

Strong declension

Here is a table showing the declension of three common Strong Nouns. Plurals vary! (See above)

Consider the table, then complete the guidelines below:

• Masculine and Neuter Singular Nouns add __ or ___ in the Genitive case.
• All Nouns end in ___ in the Dative Plural.

Consult the Solution to check your answers:

Solution: Strong declension

• Masculine and Neuter Singular Nouns add s or es in the Genitive case.
• All Nouns end in n in the Dative Plural

Weak declension

Weak Nouns are Masculine Nouns which add en or n to the Nominative Singular in all other instances.

Challenge: Consider the examples below, then complete the table. You may find it helpful to consult Case.

Refer to the Solution to check your findings:

Solution: Weak declension

Test yourself!

In respect of the above sections, try the following:

1. Study the explanations and examples.
2. Print out the table for the grammar point you are working on and fold it into 2 vertically. You will then be able to check your recall of the English and German examples by folding and unfolding the paper.

Created for ULTRALAB trial June 1999 Copyright ULTRALAB at Anglia Polytechnic University