Male (der Vater, der Held, der Kater, der Rabe)
2. Names of seasons, months, days of the week, parts of the day (der Winter, der Januar, der Montag, der Abend)
3. Name of parts of the world (der Norden, der Osten)
4. Name of currencies (der Rubel, der Dollar)
5. Title (der Schnee, der Regen)
The feminine gender includes:
1. Animate feminine nouns (die Frau, die Katze, die Kuh)
2. Names of most fruits and berries (die Tanne, die Tulpe, die Birne)
3. Names of ships (die Titanik)
The neuter gender includes:
1. Name of children and cubs (das Kind, das Kalb)
2. Names of continents, countries, cities (das Europa, das Berlin, das Russland)
Determining the gender of nouns by word formation: The masculine gender includes:
1. Many monosyllabic verbal nouns (der Gang, der Klang)
2. Nouns with suffixes –e, -er, -ner, -ler, -ling, -el, -aner, -en (der Arbeiter, der Junge, der Lehrling, der Garten)
3. Borrowed nouns with suffixes -at, -et, -ant, -ent, -ist, -ismus, -ar, -ier, -eur, -or, -ot, -it (der Kapitalismus, der Aspirant, der Agronom )
The feminine gender includes:
1. Nouns with suffixes -in, -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ei (die Malerei, die Lehrerin, die Kindheit, die Freundshaft)
2. Borrowed nouns with suffixes -el, -ei, -ie, -ik, -ion, -tion, -tat, -ur (die Melodie, die Aspirantur, die Revolution)
The neuter gender includes:
1. Nouns with suffixes -chen, -lein, -tel, -um (das Heldentum, das Hindernis)
2. Borrowed inanimate nouns with suffixes -ment, -nis, -ent, -at, -al (das Museum, das Dekanat)
3. Collective nouns with semi-suffixes –zeug, -werk, -gut (das Spielzeug, das Buschwerk)
Gender of compound nouns: The gender of compound nouns depends on the gender of the word being defined (usually the second part of the compound word)
die Eisenbahn = das Eisen (defining) + die Bahn (defining)
Gender of substantivized parts of speech: 1. Substantivized infinitive, conjunctions, prepositions, adverbs, interjections belong to the neuter gender (das Lernen, das Aber)
2. Substantivized cardinal numbers are feminine (die Drei, die Acht)
There are a number of exceptions to these rules. Therefore, if possible, when determining the gender of nouns in German, it is better to check the dictionary.
Sources:
- how to determine the gender of nouns in German
Tip 2: How to determine the gender of nouns in German
In German there are three genders: masculine (das Maskulinum), feminine (das Femininum), neuter (das Neutrum). When determining the gender of a noun, certain difficulties often arise, so you should be patient and try to remember some rules.
Instructions
One of the ways to determine gender is gender by the meaning of the noun. The masculine gender includes the names of: - male persons der Brude, der Mann; - male animals der Bulle, der Hase; - male professions der Arzt, der Lehrer; - seasons , months, days of the week and parts of the day der Sommer, der Mittwoch, der Morgen, but das Fruhjahr, die Nacht; - parts of the world der Norden; der Westen;- natural phenomena der Hauch, der Nebel;- alcoholic and spirits drinks der Rum, der Wein;- car brands der Ford, der Volga;- minerals, precious stones, rocks der Opal, der Sand, but die Kreide, die Perle;- some mountains, mountain ranges, peaks, volcanoes der Elbrus, but die Rhon, die Tatra;- many birds der Schwan, der Falke, but die Gans, die Drossel;- many fish and crayfish der Krebs, but die Sardine ;- banknotes and der Pfennig, der Euro, but die Kopeke, die Lira.
The feminine gender includes the names of: - female persons die Mutter, die Schwester, but das Weib; - female animals die Bache, die Kuh, but das Huhn, der Panter; - professions die Lehrerin; - many ships, even if they are named male name, many aircraft, motorcycles (due to the fact that die Maschine) die Titanic, die TU-154, but der General san Martin. The names of ships derived from the names of animals, as a rule, retain their gender; - trees, except those on -baum die Erle, die Tanne, but der Baobab, der Ahorn; - flowers die Nelke, die Tulpe, but der Kaktus, das Veilchen;- vegetables and fruits die Tomate, die Birne, but der Apfel, der Spargel;- berries (most often those ending in -beere) die Brombeere, die Erdbeere;- cigarettes and cigars die Hawanna, die West;- German rivers, rivers of other countries ending in -a, -au, -e die Spree, die Wolga. The exceptions are the names of German rivers: der Rhein, der Main, der Neckar, der Lech, der Regen. Most of the names of rivers in other countries, as well as seas and oceans, are masculine: der Ganges, der Atlantik, but die Norsee, die Ostsee; - most insects die Laus, die Spinne, but der Floh, der Kakerlak.
Nouns in German, as in Russian, can be of three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter:
der (ein) Mann (m) – man (masculine – Maskulinum),
die (eine) Frau (f) – woman (feminine – Femininum),
das (ein) Fenster (n) – window (neuter gender – Neutrum).
Gender in German, as you can see, is expressed through the article.
The man will, of course, be masculine, and the woman will be feminine.
But with inanimate objects it’s more difficult. They, as in Russian, are not necessarily of the neuter, “neutral” gender, but belong to different genders. Closet in Russian for some reason it’s a man, but shelf- a woman, although they have no sexual characteristics. It's the same in German. The trouble is that gender in Russian and German often does not match, that Germans see the gender of objects differently. It may (by chance) coincide, it may not. For example, der Schrank (cabinet)- masculine das Regal (shelf)– average.das Weib (woman, woman) and das Mädchen (girl, girl) are neuter.
You should try to remember the word in German with the article!
Sometimes you can guess by the shape of a word what kind it is. For example, by how the word ends. Like in Russian words for -ost, – tion, – iya, – aya, – tsa, – ka, – a...– feminine, and German words in:
die Melo die– melody, die Situa tion– situation, die Kult ur– culture, die Tend enz - trend, die Speziali tät– a traditional dish (of a region), die Maler ei– painting, die Fest ung– fortress, die Frei heit– freedom, die Möglich keit– opportunity, die Wissen schaft- science...
Some suffixes that in Russian correspond to the masculine gender, in German, on the contrary, are a sign of the feminine gender: die Reg ion – region, die Diagn ose– diagnosis, die Gar age- garage…
Words ending with -e, most often feminine: die Wanne – bath, die Woche – week. This -e corresponds to the Russian ending -a (-i). But in Russian there are also masculine words with a similar ending (uncle, cabin boy). Same in German: der Junge - boy.
Note also that the words in -ling always masculine: Lehr ling (student, journeyman).
Many one-syllable (sometimes two-syllable - due to the prefix) nouns formed from verbs belong to the masculine gender:
der Beginn< – beginnen (начало – начинать), der Blick < – blicken (взгляд, вид – взглянуть), der Klang < – klingen (звук – звучать), der Begriff < – begreifen (понятие – понимать), der Sieg < – siegen (победа – побеждать). But: das Spiel< – spielen (игра – играть).
The matter is also greatly simplified by the fact that you can take any verb in the indefinite form and attach a neuter article to it. The process name will be:
das Sprechen< – sprechen (говорение – говорить), das Leben < – leben (жизнь – жить), das Essen < – essen (еда – есть).
Signs that a word is masculine:
Signs that a word is feminine:
Signs that a word is neuter:
It is interesting that some nouns, depending on their gender, have different meanings. For example:
der See (lake) – die See (sea),
der Band (volume) – das Band (tape),
das Steuer (steering wheel, steering wheel) – die Steuer (tax),
der Leiter (leader) – die Leiter (ladder),
der Tor (fool) – das Tor (gate),
der Schild (shield) – das Schild (signboard, tablet),
der Bauer (peasant) – das Bauer (cage)
der Fisch (fish) die Fisch e(fish)
die Blume (flower) die Bloom en(flowers)
das Kind (child) die Kind er(children)
In the plural we already see only one definite article: die.
So, die– not only a feminine definite article, but also a plural definite article. Die Kinder- those very specific children. How can I just say children, some children? Word ein(e)(indefinite article) is not suitable here, since it itself means one: ein Kind – one (some) child. That's why some children it will be easy Kinder- without article. There is no plural indefinite article; indefiniteness is expressed by the absence of an article:
Im Hof spielen Kinder. - Children are playing in the yard.
Ich kenne die Kinder. – I know these children.
In the plural there is one article for all three genders. But at the same time, the gender is not completely dissolved; it is visible in the plural endings. Look again at the examples. Masculine words receive a plural ending -e, female – ending -(e)n (die Frau – die Frauen) or, for words ending in -in, ending -nen (die Ärztin (female doctor) – die Ärztin nen), neuter words - ending -er. But, as it is said in Faust:
Grau, teurer Freund, ist Theorie
Und grün des Lebens goldner Baum.
(Suha, my friend, theory is everywhere,
And the tree of life is lushly green!)
So, for example:
der Mann (man) – die Männer,
die Stadt (city) – die Städte,
das Gespräch (conversation) – die Gespräche…
Since there are a lot of such deviations from the “gray theory”, the plural, like the gender, needs to be remembered for each individual word. (This, however, does not cause any special problems: you only have to encounter this plural of a word a couple of times, and it you will remember).
As they say, a drowning man clutches at straws. Here is one of those straws.
If the word ends in -e, then it most likely forms the plural by adding -n: der Junge (boy) – die Jungen.
If the word is feminine, then you can also be almost sure that in the plural it will receive the ending -(e)n. With the exception of a small group of monosyllabic words that receive reversals - Umlaut(a -> ä) and ending -e:
die Hand (hand) – die Hände, die Stadt (city) – die Städte, die Maus (mouse) – die Mäuse…
Remember also two special cases:
die Tochter (daughter), die Mutter (mother) – die Töchter, die Mütter.
Please note that words borrowed from English or French most often receive (or rather, simply retain) the plural form -s:
der Park – die Parks, die Bar – die Bars, das Büro – die Büros.
But not always. Some of them “Germanized”, that is, they ceased to be perceived as foreign and received German plural endings:
die Bank (bank) – die Banken, der Bus (bus) – die Busse, das Telefon – die Telefone.
Masculine and neuter words ending in -en, –er(and these are plural endings!) and on -el, as well as words with diminutive suffixes, do not receive any endings in the plural:
das Tischlein (table) – die Tischlein,
der Wagen (machine) – die Wagen,
der Fahrer (driver) – die Fahrer,
der Schlüssel (key) – die Schlüssel.
If the ending -er or -el has a feminine word, it adds in the plural -n(according to the general rule for feminine words):
die Schwester (sister) – die Schwestern,
die Kartoffel (potato) – die Kartoffeln.
There are exceptions, for example: der Muskel – die Muskeln (muscles), der Pantoffel – die Pantoffeln (slippers), der Stachel – die Stacheln (stings; thorns, thorns), der Bayer – die Bayern (Bavarians).
So the plural ending may not change. But a discrepancy may “unexpectedly” appear - Umlaut, which, as you may have noticed, often helps form the plural:
der Hafen (port) – die Häfen, der Apfel (apple) – die Äpfel, der Garten (garden) – die Gärten, das Kloster (monastery) – die Klöster. This needs to be remembered.
Most masculine nouns form their plural using the ending -e. In this case, a reversal often appears (Umlaut): der Tag – die Tage (day – days), der Sohn – die Söhne (son – sons).
With a "feminine" ending -en The plural is formed, firstly, by the so-called weak masculine nouns (which will be discussed below), and secondly, by a small group of words that need to be taken into account “as they come,” for example: der Staat (state) – die Staaten, der Nerv – die Nerven, der Schmerz (pain) – die Schmerzen…
Some masculine words (there are not many of them) form the plural with a “genderless”, “neutral” (neuter) ending -er: der Wald (forest) – die Wälder, der Mann (man) – die Männer, der Irrtum (delusion) – die Irrtümer…
Most monosyllabic neuter nouns are pluralized using a suffix -er(always with Umlaut, wherever possible):
das Land (country) – die Länder, das Buch (book) – die Bücher, das Lied (song) – die Lieder.
With a "feminine" ending -en The following neuter nouns form the plural:
das Bett (bed, bed) – die Betten, das Hemd (shirt), das Ohr (ear), das Auge (eye).
And also (less common): das Insekt (insect), das Juwel (jewel), das Verb (verb).
In the case of das Auge and so it is clear: if a word ends in -e, then in the plural it is added -n(as a general rule). For example: das Interesse – die Interessen. But there are exceptions: das Knie (knee) – die Knie, as well as words like das Ge bäud e(building, structure) – die Gebäude, das Ge Birg e(mountainous area) – die Gebirge…
Some neuter words with atypical plurals have -en, this ending replaces the singular suffix and slightly changes the word itself: das Museum – die Museen, das Stadion – die Stadien, das Album – die Alben, das Datum – die Daten (date – dates; data), das Thema – die Themen, das Drama – die Dramen, das Prinzip – die Prinzipien, das Material – die Materialien, das Virus – die Viren, das Visum – die Visa (die Visen).(In the latter case, there are two plurals: the old Latin and the new “Germanized.”)
Many neuter nouns form the plural with a “masculine” ending -e(this is where you really have to remember!). The only consolation is that they never have Umlaut:
das Pferd (horse) – die Pferde, das Jahr (year) – die Jahre, das Werk (plant, work) – die Werke.
And here there is a “straw”: words of foreign origin (mostly Latin, which you can easily recognize by their “internationality”) receive a “masculine” ending in the plural -e:
das Modell - die Modelle, das Element - die Elemente, das Diplom - die Diplome.
Words with the suffix do the same -nis(regardless of their type):
das Hindernis – die Hindernisse (obstacles), die Kenntnis – die Kenntnisse (knowledge).
You see they add one more -s-. This is done in order to preserve the pronunciation (otherwise it would be pronounced “z”).
Certain native German nouns can be pluralized using a suffix -s- in colloquial speech: Jung(en)s (guys), Mädels (girls). How did this happen? The fact is that even before any borrowings from English and French, the suffix -s came to German from the closely related Dutch. (German and Dutch are related roughly like Russian and Ukrainian.)
Suffix -s turned out to be convenient for many German words ending in a vowel (except -e), as well as for various abbreviations:
die Oma (grandmother) – die Omas, der Uhu (eagle owl) – die Uhus,
die AGs (Aktiengesellschaft - joint stock company), die PKWs (Personenkraftwagen - passenger car).
And also for last names: die Müllers - Müllers.
In some cases, the plural is formed by changing the word:
der Seemann – die Seeleute (sailors: “sea people”),
der Kaufmann – die Kaufleute (merchants: “buying people”),
der Rat (der Ratschlag) – die Ratschläge (advice),
der Stock (das Stockwerk) – die Stockwerke (floors),
Der, die or das? How to define articles in German? When to use the definite or indefinite article? How to determine the gender of a noun and how to use German articles? Almost all nouns in the German language are preceded by a small word that scares even native speakers, but we will not be intimidated, we will analyze it in our video and article.
Nouns in German, as in Russian, have a gender category - masculine, feminine or neuter. At the same time, the gender of nouns in German and Russian often does not coincide. For example:
das Haus- neuter, and house- masculine
die Fliese- feminine, and tile- masculine
Therefore, nouns must be memorized with an article, which indicates the gender of the noun. Remembering the gender of nouns is often difficult, but many nouns have some features that help determine the gender of those nouns. The gender of nouns can be determined:
- according to the meaning of the word;- by the method of word formation (by the form of the word).
1.1. Masculine (by meaning)
Male persons - der Mann(man), der Junge(boy)
- male animals - der Bär(bear)
- cardinal directions - der Norden(north)
- seasons - der Sommer(summer), der Winter(winter)
- names of months - der Januar(January), der Mai(May), in September(September)
- days of the week - der Montag(Monday), der Mittwoch(Wednesday), der Sonntag(Sunday)
- times of day - der Morgen(morning), But die Nacht(night)
- precipitation - der Regen(rain), der Schnee(snow)
- minerals - der Granit(granite)
- stones - der Rubin(ruby)
- names of mountains - der Harz(Harz)
- names of lakes - der Baikal(Baikal)
- alcoholic drinks - der Wodka(vodka), der Sekt(sparkling wine), but das Bier(beer)
- monetary units - der Euro(euro), but die Kopeke(kopeck), die Krone(crown), die Mark(brand)
- celestial bodies - der Mond(moon), but die Venus(Venus), die Sonne(Sun)
- names of car brands - der Opel, der BMW
1.2. Masculine (by form)
-er— der Fahrer (driver)
-ler - der Sportler (sportsman)
-ner - der Gärtner (gardener)
-ling— der Lehrling (student)
-s - der Fuchs (fox)
Note: don't confuse the suffix <-er> in derived nouns with words whose roots end in <-er> : die Mutter, die Tochter, das Fenster, etc.
Foreign words (mostly animate) with suffixes:
-ent - der Student (student)
-ant - der Laborant (laboratory assistant)
-ist - der Publizist (publicist)
-et - der Poet (poet)
-ot - der Pilot (pilot)
-at - der Kandidat (candidate)
-soph - der Philosopher (philosopher)
-nom - der Astronom (astronomer)
-graph - der Photograph (photographer)
-eur - der Ingenieur (engineer)
-ier - der Pionier (pioneer)
-ar - der Jubilar (celebrant of the day)
-är - der Sekretär (secretary)
-or - der Doktor (doctor)
Note: inanimate nouns with suffixes <-ent>, <-at>, <-et> can be either masculine or neuter: der Kontinent - das Patent, der Apparat - das Referat, der Planet - das Alphabet.
Nouns formed from verb roots without a suffix (often with a change in the root vowel)der Ga ng - (from ge hen)
der Gru ß - (from grü ßen)
der Spru ng - (from spri ngen), But das Spiel
2.1. Feminine (by meaning)
- female persons - die Frau(woman), but das Mädchen (see neuter gender)- female animals - die Kuh(cow), but das Huhn(chicken), das Schaf(sheep)
- names of trees - die Birke(birch), But der Ahorn(maple)
- names of colors - die Aster(aster), Butder Mohn(poppy), der Kaktus(cactus)
- names of berries - die Himbeere(raspberry)
- name of fruits and vegetables - die Birne(pear), But der Apfel(apple), der Pfirsich(peach), der Kohl(cabbage), der Kurbis(pumpkin)
- most German rivers - die Elbe, die Oder, die Spree, But der Rhein, der Main, der Neckar
2.2. Feminine (by form)
Nouns with suffixes:-in die Laborantin (lab assistant)
-ung –die Übung (exercise)
-heit –die Freiheit (freedom)
-keit—die Möglichkeit (possibility)
-schaft -die Landschaft (landscape)
-ei—die Malerei (painting)
Foreign words with stressed suffixes:
-ie -die Chemie (chemistry)
-tät —die Universität (university)
-tion –die Station (station)
-ur —die Kultur (culture)
-ik —die Physik (physics)
-age —die Reportage (report)
-ade –die Fassade (facade)
-anz —die Ambulanz (outpatient clinic)
-enz —die Existenz (existence)
Most nouns with suffix -e (mostly two syllables):
die Liebe (love)
die Kälte (cold)
die Hilfe (help)
die Lampe (lamp)
Note: there are also a number of nouns masculine ending in -e: der Kollege, der Russe, der Junge, der Name, der Gedanke, der Käse and several nouns neuter: das Ende, das Interesse, das Auge.
Nouns formed from verbs using a suffix -t:
die Fahrt (riding)
die Kunst (art)
die Macht (power)
Cheat sheets on the topic to save and use:
3.2. Neuter (form)
Nouns with suffixes:-chen—das Mädchen (girl)
-lein -das Tischlein (table)
-(s)tel —das Fünftel (one fifth)
Most nouns with suffixes:
-tum
das Eigentum (property), But der Reichtum, der Irrtum -nis
das Verhältnis (attitude), But die Kenntnis, die Erlaubnis
Foreign words (objects and abstract concepts) ending in:
-(i)um—das Stadium (stadium)
-ett —das Kabinett (office)
-ment —das Document (document)
-ma-das Drama (drama)
-o —das Kino (cinema)
Prefixed nouns Ge-:
das Ge wässer (water)
das Ge Birge (mountain range)
das Ge mälde (picture)
Substantivized infinitives:
das Laufen (running) - from laufen (to run)
das Lesen (reading) - from lesen (read)
A noun in German, as in Russian, has a gender category: masculine, feminine or neuter. At the same time, the gender of nouns in German and Russian often does not coincide. Therefore, nouns must be memorized with an article, which indicates the gender of the noun.
Remembering the gender of nouns is often difficult. However, many nouns have some features that help determine the gender of those nouns. The gender of nouns can be determined:
- according to the meaning of the word
- according to the form of the word
Masculine gender by meaning:
- male persons | der Mann (man) |
- male animals | der Bär (bear) |
- cardinal directions | der Norden (north) |
- seasons | der Sommer (summer) |
- names of months | der Januar (January) |
- days of the week | der Montag (Monday) |
- times of day | der Morgen (morning), But die Nacht (night) |
— precipitation | der Regen (rain) |
- minerals | der Granit (granite) |
- stones | der Rubin (ruby) |
- names of mountains | der Harz (Harz) |
- names of lakes | der Baikal (Baikal) |
- alcoholic drinks | der Wodka (vodka), But das Bier (beer) |
- monetary units | der Euro (euro), But die Kopeke (penny), die Krone (crown), die Mark (mark) |
- celestial bodies | der Mond (moon), But die Venus (Venus) |
- names of car brands | der Opel, der BMW |
Masculine form:
-er | der Fahrer (driver) |
-ler | der Sportler (athlete) |
-ner | der Gärtner (gardener) |
-ling | der Lehrling (student) |
-s | der Fuchs (fox) |
Note: don't confuse the suffix -er in derived nouns with words whose roots end in -er: die Mutter, die Tochter, das Fenster, etc.
— Foreign words (mostly animate) with suffixes: | |
-ent | der Student (student) |
-ant | der Laborant (laboratory assistant) |
-ist | der Publizist (publicist) |
-et | der Poet (poet) |
-ot | der Pilot (pilot) |
-at | der Kandidat (candidate) |
-soph | der Philosopher (philosopher) |
-nom | der Astronom (astronomer) |
-graph | der Photograph (photographer) |
-eur | der Ingenieur (engineer) |
-ier | der Pionier (pioneer) |
-ar | der Jubilar (celebrant of the day) |
-är | der Sekretär (secretary) |
-or | der Doktor (doctor) |
Note: inanimate nouns with suffixes -ent, -at,-et can be either masculine or neuter: der Kontinent - das Patent, der Apparat - das Referat, der Planet - das Alphabet.
Feminine by meaning:
- female persons | die Frau (woman), But das Mädchen |
- female animals | die Kuh (cow), But das Huhn (chicken), das Schaf (sheep) |
- tree names | die Birke (birch), But der Ahorn |
- names of colors | die Aster (aster), But der Mohn (poppy), der Kaktus (cactus) |
- names of berries | die Himbeere (raspberry) |
- name of fruits and vegetables | die Birne (pear), But der Apfel (apple), der Pfirsich (peach), der Kohl (cabbage), der Kürbis (pumpkin) |
- most German rivers | die Elbe, die Oder, die Spree,Butder Rhein, der Main, der Neckar |
Feminine form:
— Nouns with suffixes: | |
-in | die Laborantin (lab assistant) |
-ung | die Übung (exercise) |
-heit | die Freiheit (freedom) |
-keit | die Möglichkeit (opportunity) |
-schaft | die Landschaft (landscape) |
-ei | die Malerei (painting) |
— Foreign words with stressed suffixes: | |
-ie | die Chemie (chemistry) |
-tät | die Universität (university) |
-tion | die Station |
-ur | die Kultur (culture) |
-ik | die Physik (physics) |
-age | die Reportage |
-ade | die Fassade (façade) |
-anz | die Ambulanz (outpatient clinic) |
-enz | die Existenz (existence) |
Note: there are also a number of nouns masculine ending in -e: der Kollege, der Russe, der Junge, der Name, der Gedanke, der Käse and several nouns neuter: das Ende, das Interesse, das Auge.
Neuter by meaning:
- names of children and cubs | das Kind (child), das Lamm (lamb) |
- metals and alloys | das Silber (silver), But der Stahl (steel), die Bronze (bronze) |
- chemical elements | das Chlor (chlorine), But der Schwefel (sulphur), der Phosphor (phosphorus) |
- continents | (das) Africa, But die Arktis (Arctic), die Antarktis (Antarctica) |
- countries | (das) Germany, Butder Iran, der Iraq, der Sudan, die BRD, die Schweiz, die Türkei, die Mongolei, die Ukraine, die USA |
- cities | (das) Moscow, But der Haag |
- names of the islands | (das) Rügen, But die Krim (Crimea) |
- physical units | das Kilowatt (kilowatt) |
- languages | das Russisch (Russian language) |
Neuter form:
— Foreign words (objects and abstract concepts) ending in: | |
-(i)um | das Stadium (stadium) |
-ett | das Kabinett (office) |
-ment | das Document (document) |
-ma | das Drama (drama) |
-o | das Kino (cinema) |
— Substantivized infinitives: | das Laufen (running) - from laufen (to run) |
These are almost all the rules for determining the gender of a noun in German. However, do not forget that not all nouns fit these rules. The most reliable way not to get confused when assigning a noun to one gender or another is to simply learn it with an article!
The gender of compound nouns depends on the gender of the base word. The first part of a word is called a modifier, the last part of a compound word is called a base word.
Der Kuchen schrank(kitchen cabinet, kitchen cupboard) = die Küche (kitchen) + der Schrank (cabinet)
The base word of a compound noun can only be a noun. Various parts of speech act as a defining word: a singular noun (die Tischlampe - table lamp) and plural (der Kräutertee - herbal tea), a verb (das Schlafzimmer - bedroom), a short adjective (der Kurzstreik - short-term strike), pretext (das Nebenamt - part-time position).
The words that make up a compound noun are joined to each other either directly (das Schlafzimmer) or with the help of connecting elements -(e)s (die Lebensmittel), -(e)n (der Küchenschrank).
The gender of compound words also depends on the base word: der PKW = der Personenkraftwagen - passenger car. In German, some words are abbreviated so that only some part of the word remains - the beginning or the end. For example, die Universität (university) - die Uni, der Autobus (bus) - der Bus. A word shortened in this way retains the gender of the full word.
Some nouns have different meanings depending on their gender:
- der See (lake) - die See (sea),
- der Band (volume) - das Band (tape),
- das Steuer (steering wheel, steering wheel) - die Steuer (tax),
- der Leiter (head) - die Leiter (ladder),
- der Tor (fool) - das Tor (gate),
- der Schild (shield) - das Schild (sign, tablet),
- der Bauer (peasant) - das Bauer (cage)
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