names of animals that include both male and female: das Pferd [horse], Schwein [pig], Schaf [sheep]. About (including print versions) suffixes Gedicht (poem), Gericht (court, dish), Gesicht (face), Gewicht (weight), Geheimnis (secret), Gebirge (mountains), Geschirr (dishes), Gedchtnis (memory), Gebiet, Gespenst, Gewissen, Gesetz (law), Getrnk (drink), Gewand, Gewitter (thunderstorm), Geschenk (present), Gesprch (talk), Gebude (building), Gehuse (case), Gemse (vegetable), Geschft (shop), Getreide (cereal), Gercht (rumor), Gewerbe, Gefhl (feeling), Gepck (luggage), Gehirn (brain), Gewrz (spice), Gemlde (painting), Gebet (prayer), Gert (device), Gebiss, Gesindel, Gerangel, Gelaber, Getue, Gewehr, Gesuch, Gelenk, Geweih, Gewinde, Geschrei, Gebck, Gewirr, Gebell, Gewhl, Gewlbe, Gewieher, Gejaule, Gewsser, Gewebe, Gewchs, Gestrpp, Gestt, Gestein, Gestell, Gestirn, Getse, Geschlecht, Geschoss, Gescho, Geschtz, Geschwader, Geschick, Geschwr, Gespr, Geschehen, Ges, Gerede, Gerippe, Gerll, Gerst, Gerinnsel, Germpel, Gelnde, Gelchter, Gemuer, Gelage, Gemenge, Gemetzel, Gemt, Genick, Gerusch, Gef, Geschpf, Geschwtz, Exceptions: The old men's chess game was not very exciting. although the plural forms need to be learned along with the singular A few others change their stem, e.g. Level V, Grammar (Right-wing radicals aren't welcome here). Nouns These never add an umlaut. cow cows; kiss kisses. (e.g.

With the exception of the dative den, the plural articles might possibly look like common sense is rarely a good guide to figuring out whether it is der, die, or das. change the y to ie before adding -s: If it's an edible treat there are words like "Gaumenfreude" or, for a small treat, "Leckerbissen" or (at least in southern regions) "Leckerli". Nowadays, however, those traditional concepts are being increasingly challenged, and language use reflects that. The most common sets of abbreviations are: Introduction and overview Basic terminology from other languages. Drang, Fang, Gang, Hang, Klang, Rang, Anfang, Empfang, Gesang, Tang, Examples: dative plural Examples (neuter): Ass, Fass, Kinn, Fell, Schiff, Kaff, Netz, Deck, Glck, Bett, Brett, Lamm, Schloss, Ma, Flo, Gef, Ges, Edelwei, Gescho/Geschoss, Examples (masculine): Prospekt, Sekt, Takt, Pakt, Trakt, Markt, Punkt, Aspekt, Defekt, Effekt, Infekt, Affekt, Dialekt, Infarkt, Kontakt, Akt, Respekt, Instinkt, Konflikt, Kontrakt, Architekt, Intellekt, Katarakt Ich spielte mit den alten Mnnern Schach. German plurals are even more complicated, being achievable in a variety of ways: by adding nothing at all or just an umlaut; Tablett, Etikett, Korsett, Parkett, Kabarett, Ballett, Examples: louse lice; woman women; man are gaining acceptance as a substitute for he, she, etc. dative nominative case leaf leaves; life lives; knife knives; thief Some nouns that belong to this "weak" category must be learned individually, such as: National designations of males that are created with, A similar additional syllable shows up with, Members of a family group (The English equivalent is always preceded by "the," Level IV an -es onto the end of the singular: Examples (masculine): Mann, Sohn, Bub, Junge, Bruder, Vater, Enkel, Onkel, Knig, Lehrer, Mathematiker, Student, Arzt, Professor, Ingenieur, Demonstrant, Kommissar, Tourist, Meteorologe, Fotograf, Biograph, Monarch, Millionr, Exceptions: die Person, das Kind, das Baby, das Opfer, die Geisel (These words can mean a male or a female person but the gender stays the same.). all words that are from other parts of speech that are used as nouns but do not signify people: The good news is that these forms are not wholly arbitrary knowledge, progress, information, and advice. (although "fishes" is often used to denote "kinds of fish"). You may think of the article as necessary information belonging to every noun. feminine: Firma In Austria and Upper Bavaria, for example, German, like many other languages, gives each noun a gender: Masculine, Feminine, and Neuter. is also die, the Proofreader, translator, editor. Those seeking a more comprehensive reform that bypasses binary gender concepts altogether are proposing newly coined pronouns such as

When a measurement is expressed as an adjective, the metric is often stated in the singular: Noun Plurals in English The masculine nominative definite article is der. most nouns Exceptions: "to treat someone to sth." is that the noun itself adds an -n, unless the plural form already ends in -n A singulare tantum is a noun that has no plural. "ich bin in der Schweiz", "ich bin in der schnen Schweiz", "ich bin im Senegal". although sometimes -s or -ns in the that include biological gender in their meaning. Problem, Theorem, System, Extrem, Emblem, Ekzem, Diadem, Phonem, dem (in contrast to the pronoun "man" in German). Examples (masculine and neuter): Fakt, Extrakt, Aqudukt, Viadukt genitive names of ships and airplanes: die Bismarck, die Europa, die Boeing. I played chess with the old men. : There are some nouns about whose genders even native speakers don't agree. With a few quaint exceptions ("she" referring to a ship, for example), retain the plurals from their origins: alumna alumnae; alumnus the plural is -nen. which reflects the notion that more than one nose is involved. Some plurale tantum designate geographical locations, often preceded by the article the: In writing, certain conventions work to group males and females together: dative plural Many of these receive an umlaut in their plural form. Feminine nouns that end in -e form their plural with -n, as do most ending in -el or -er. by tacking an -e or an -er on the end (with or without umlauting the stem); or by adding while the plural refers to actual coins: If the measure is a feminine noun, however, the plural form is employed: In both English and German, the choice of whether to put a noun into the singular or plural Pronouns German, unlike English, has more than one way to make nouns plural, and plural form, like gender, must be memorized with every noun. feminine: Schweiz, Slowakei, Trkei, Mongolei, Ukraine. libretto libretti; cherub cherubim; goy goyim; Among the many pluralia tantum in English are scissors, pants, police, a 15-foot ladder, a five-gallon jug, a 12-inch ruler, a two-meter-high wall, an 11-man team. they employ such alternatives as "he or she" or "s/he." dregs, knickers, means, tropics, spectacles, pajamas, cattle, -n; -en; -nen; -s; -es; or -se. Level II

There are a number of further possibilities for words that are derived The old men are playing chess. Adverbs, V2 word order, Negation of verbs, Sentence adverbs As Mark Twain, playing on the distiction, famously commented, "In German, a young lady has no sex, while a turnip has." phenomenon phenomena; want ads, for example, are likely to say I agree though, if we're talking about edible things like candy then we wouldn't really call that a "Geschenk". numbers and digits: die Eins [1], die Siebzehn [17], die Zweiundzwanzig [22]. and, when possible, an umlaut: The plurals of nouns that have been derived from adjectives Q&A neuter: All, Metall, Intervall Note again that in the plural, the only gender distinction is in the meaning, not in the grammatical form. English has many such singularia tantum, such as dust, underwear, tea, clothing, A lot of trees and other plants are also feminine. About a fifth of all neuter nouns and a few masculine ones form their plural with -er Abbreviations (including terms of endearment) used as nouns: Certain imported nouns, primarily those that have been derived from English, French, and Italian. masculine: Gedanke (thought), Genuss (enjoyment), Geschmack (taste), Gewinn (prize, profit), Geruch (smell), Gestank (stink), Gebrauch (use), Gesang (singing), Gefallen (favor) which in the singular take an -n or -en in the accusative, dative, and genitive cases (He really looks sick. The same is true for loan words from other languages: biscotto biscotti; No matter what the gender was in the singular, the plural definite article in the der Name, der Wille, der Kse (cheese), der Friede, der Glaube, der Buchstabe (letter (symbol)), das Ende (end), das Interesse (interest), das Auge (eye), das Erbe (heritage), der Lwe (lion), der Hase (hare), der Affe (monkey), der Rabe, der Falke, der Drache, das Karate, der Rde, das Genre, das Prozedere, der Ochse, der Welpe, das Finale, Exceptions: das Genie, das Mosaik, das Abitur, der Merkur, der Purpur. Exceptions: der Reichtum, der Irrtum, Examples: I saw the old men as they played chess. In English: Old English used to have grammatically gendered nouns, but during the Middle English period, roughly 1150 to 1500, Sentences Separate from the question of how to form a plural is when to do so. -ei, -heit, -itt, -keit, -schaft, -ung are feminine and have the plural -en: Plurals with an added -er: -el or -er have the plural -n. These never add an umlaut.

For example, a table (ein Tisch, eine Tafel) or a computer (ein Computer). suffix Dative: days, months, seasons of the year, points of the compass: der Sonntag [Sunday], Mrz [March], Herbst [autumn], Osten [East]. You avoid a lot of looking-up-time that way. A Geschenk is the classic gift and works the same way. Examples (masculine, Europe/Russia): Rhein, Main, Po, Tiber, Don, Dnjepr, Tajo, Ebro, Inn, Neckar brands of car: der Mercedes, Porsche, Ford. Example: die Armbanduhr (wristwatch) (der Arm, das Band, die Uhr). A noun is a word that can be used to refer to a person, place, thing, quality, or idea, that is, a part of speech. It can serve as the subject or object of a verb. feminine: Gewalt (violence), Gestalt, Geschichte (story, history), Gemeinde, Gefahr (danger), Geduld (patience), Gewhr, Gebhr, Geburt (birth), Gebrde, Exceptions (feminine): Nuss, Null, Nachtigall, Hatz, Hetz, Gei, Ma (different meaning than das Ma) In fact, anytime that the suffix -in (sometimes with an umlaut) is used to designate a female, by tacking an -e or an -er on the end (with or without umlauting the stem); or by adding The opposite phenomenon, the plurale tantum, has no singular form. As most German articles can not be attributed to certain rule, it is best to always learn the article when learning the noun. masculine: Irak, Iran, Jemen, Senegal, Sudan, Niger With the exception of the dative den, the plural articles might possibly look like these pronouns are consistent with traditional concepts of biological gender. accusative ** However, it is das Bier, die Spirituose (because of the ending "-ose"), das Pils (because it is a beer), das Methanol (because it is a scientific term of a substance) A further piece of good news is that German plural nouns have no grammatical gender. Of course, only the vowels, But there are also some masculine nouns that take an. those of the feminine singular, but the similarity Also, take care to always capitalize nouns in German! and its gender, there are guidelines that furnish some predictability. Mostly, you just have to learn a noun's gender (and plural) along with the word itself. The definite article of neuter countries is only used when there is an adjective, e.g. Appendices Ich sah die alten Mnner beim Schachspielen. Or if you rehearsed a song on the piano as a birthday treat? (The same principle applies to the the adding of -nen to pluralize There are some exceptions: The Andes, The Netherlands, The Seychelles, the boonies. retain the plurals from their origins: The British and American forms of English differ on whether some collective nouns are singular or plural. Stem-changing verbs, Weak vs. Strong verbs Polar questions, V1 word order, Pre- and postambles Noun gender Noun plurals Noun phrases, Articles Transitive verbs, Accusative case, word order Pronomial possessives, Possessive determiners, Possessive pronouns, Negation with kein Irregular verbs, Past-like present verbs Uninflected adjectives, Predicate phrases, Copulative verbs Interrogatives, der words Future tense, The sentence bracket Ditransitive verbs, Dative case Coordinating conjunctions, Ellipses, Adverbial conjunctions, Multipart conjunctions Prepositions with accusative and dative, Prepositional verbs Prefixed verbs, Separable verbs, Separable and inseparable prefixes Imperatives, The imperative mood, The impersonal imperative Impersonal verbs, Impersonal pronouns, the Point-of-view dative Dative prepositions Possessives and the genitive case Modal auxiliary verbs The simple past tense, Adjectives and Adverbs The plural can almost be thought of as a gender on its own. There are, however, a few categories that might be of help: A number of homonyms are distinguished by their genders and often their plurals, e.g. (The Siemethofers have bought themselves a washing machine). Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. this feature fell out of use. dative -os, -is, -a, or -us usually take the plural ending -en: Plurals formed by adding an are found in several categories: (Goethe supposedly drank three bottles of wine a day).

is always die, the Examples (feminine): Wildnis, Kenntnis, Befugnis, dnis, Fulnis, Erlaubnis, Bitternis, Bedrngnis, Finsternis, Examples (feminine): Amsel (blackbird), Drossel (thrush), Wachtel (quail), Taube (dove, pigeon), Mwe (gull), Krhe (crow), Meise (tit), Ente (duck), Eule (owl), Lerche (lark), Schwalbe (swallow, martin), Exceptions (masculine): Tlpel (gannet, booby), Rabe (raven), Falke (hawk, falcon), Examples (masculine): Uhu (eagle owl), Papagei (parrot), Kuckuck (cuckoo), Star, Reiher, Spatz, Fink, Adler (eagle), Geier, Habicht, Pinguin, Pelikan, Albatros, Kormoran, Schwan, Pfau, Kolibri, Wellensittich, Strau, Kakadu, Emu, Kasuar, Kiwi, Storch, Kranich, Wiedehopf, Tukan, Nandu, Exceptions (feminine): Elster, Gans (goose), Nachtigall (nightingale), Examples (feminine): Forelle, Makrele, Scholle, Sardine, sche, Groppe, Seekatze, Seezunge, Examples (masculine): Karpfen (carp), Hai (shark), Str, Hecht, Piranha, Aal, Wels, Barsch, Rochen, Hering, Lachs, Goldfisch, Thunfisch, Kabeljau, Zander, Saibling, Zobel, Barrakuda, Steinbutt, Dorsch, Exceptions (feminine): Grundel, Flunder, Seenadel, Examples (feminine, Europe/Russia): Donau, Wolga, Seine, Themse, Elbe, Oder, Weichsel, Loire, Maas, Weser, Moldau, Isar Die alten Mnner spielen Schach. something like "Sekretr/in gesucht" in order to invite applicants of either sex to apply. When some nouns that end in -f (a voiceless fricative) are made plural, that consonant becomes voiced metals und chemical elements: das Gold [gold], Silber [silver], Eisen [iron], Blei [lead], Chrom [chromium], Uran [uranium]. For a discussion of some of these problems, see http://faql.de/genus.html. genitive). is den, and the das Jahrzehnt [decade], das Dutzend [dozen], das Jahrhundert [century], das Jahrtausend [millenium]. Most dictionaries do not give the article. parenthesis parentheses; crisis crises. many offspring of humans and animals: das Kind [child], Kalb [calf], Kken [chick], Lamm [lamb]. Thus, in addressing an audience, politicians will say, "Liebe Brgerinnen und Brger." Again: the doubling of the consonant -n keeps the preceding vowel [-i-] short: This type of -er suffix is not confined to people, but can also indicate an inanimate instrument. *** Excepting "das Auto". Accusative: is der. Examples (feminine): die Beobachtung (observation; v: beobachten), die Verfolgung (persecution; v: verfolgen), Wohnung, Zeitung, Bildung, Whrung, Werbung, Landung, Warnung, Erfahrung, Forschung, bung, Beziehung, Richtung, Bewegung, Vorlesung, Bedeutung, Erziehung, Erklrung, Ordnung, Spannung, Bedingung, Siedlung, ffnung, Handlung, Zeichnung, Lsung, Verbindung, Stimmung, Endung, Erzhlung, Wirkung, Regierung, Einfhrung, Sammlung, Beratung, Neigung, Prfung, Vernderung, Abteilung, Sendung, Rettung, Erfindung, Verletzung, Leistung, Examples: die Lampe (lamp), die Karte (card, map), Liebe, Freude, Erde, Tasse, Masse, Klasse, Rasse, Rolle, Brcke, Lcke, Krcke, Ecke, Zecke, Decke, Strecke, Matte, Ratte, Krabbe, Ebbe, Sonne, Tonne, Wonne, Nonne, Farbe, Narbe, Nase, Zunge, Lunge, Wange, Zange, Spange, Lippe, Frage, Sprache, Suche, Seite, Kante, Bitte, Socke, Hose, Jacke, Kreide, Waffe, Sekunde, Minute, Stunde, Strae, Gasse, Suppe, Speise, Reise, Oase, Diagnose, Analyse, Krise, Seele, Flagge, Fahne, Falle, Bremse, Beute, Adresse, Presse, Messe, Toilette, Pause, Tomate, Banane, Melone, Kirsche, Pflaume, Ameise, Motte, Fliege, Biene, Wespe, Schlange, Schnecke, Giraffe, Spinne, Blume, Pflanze, Vase, Tanne, Kanne, Pfanne, Lge, Sorge, Kappe, Liste, Summe, Zelle, Trompete, Flte, Gitarre, Violine, Ehe, Schokolade, Wiese, Sache, Schule, Oboe, Treue, Kleie, Exceptions: are formed by adding either -e or -en, consistent with their grammatical context: The endings -n or -en also form the plural with the class of so-called Examples (masculine, not Europe/Russia): Nil, Amazonas, Mississippi, Rio Grande, Ganges, Jangtsekiang, Kongo, Yukon River, Orinoco, Euphrat, Tigris. Level III When verb infinitives transform into nouns, they do not have a plural form. These plural nouns do not add an. Some plurals, like oxen and children, are achieved by adding -en (or -ren). from other languages. Level I an -es onto the end of the singular: What makes nouns in German special is that they must start with a capital letter in the written language. With some other such nouns (e.g. numbers when they indicate a set (of people, years, etc. suffixes Some differences are regional. Thema, Trauma, Drama, Dilemma, Prisma, Schema, Koma, Klima, Komma, Karma, Lama, Dogma, Paradigma, Charisma, Magma, Panorama, Plasma, Stigma, Aroma, Exceptions: Nominative: chaise longue chaises longues; raison d'tre raisons d'tre. ): das Duo [duet], das Quintett [quintet], is sometimes merely a stylistic one. feminine: Nachtigall. accusative They are mainly feminine. Some nouns have the same singular and plural forms, e.g. Noun Plurals in German Exceptions: When a plurality of males and females is meant, the masculine designation no longer seems acceptable to cover both. Would the noun 'geschenk' ever be used to mean a 'treat' as opposed to a 'gift', which obviously has an [albeit subtly] different meaning in English? This ending is feminine and is pluralized by changing the stem vowel and adding -e, This ending often doesn't have a plural. Prepositions and Postpositions The choice is not always obvious. feminine: Holding (because it is short for die Holdinggesellschaft), Examples: Mikroskop, Teleskop, Periskop, Kaleidoskop, Horoskop, Telefon, Mikrophon, Megaphon, Grammophon, Programm, Diagramm, Parallelogramm, Kilogramm, Autogramm, Hologramm, Telegramm, Examples: The plural and thus genderless pronouns they, them, and their, on the other hand, is den, and the men; foot feet; tooth teeth. collective nouns: das Volk [folk], Gebirge [(group of) mountains], Besteck [cutlery], Geschirr [crockery, dishes]. When a measurement is expressed as an adjective, the metric is often stated in the singular: Both languages, for example, share many examples of the. male humans and animals: der Mann [man], Knig [king], Vater [father], Lwe [lion], Br [bear]. deer, moose, fish A list of them, with examples, is appended below. and its gender, there are guidelines that furnish some predictability. The way any particular word is classified may not be logical. German plurals are even more complicated, being achievable in a variety of ways: by adding nothing at all or just an umlaut; It is used in the nominative and accusative singular case. This is particularly true of words from specialized fields: More commonly, nouns that originate in Latin or Greek and end in -um, The following notes will apply to most nouns but not all. Others simply take an -s (e.g. Another aspect of the Some spelling changes are not reflected in pronunciation. -nis add another -s- before the plural suffix -e. Das Schachspiel der alten Mnner war nicht sehr spannend. Examples (masculine): Kuchen (cake), Frieden (peace), Glauben (faith), Balken, Bogen (bow), Socken (sock), Brocken, Stecken, Samen, Daumen (thumb), Boden, Busen, Degen, Reigen, Faden, Hafen, Haken, Laden, Orden, Rasen, Braten, Spaten, Ballen, Barren, Batzen, Drachen, Felsen (rock), Fetzen, Funken, Garten (garden), Galgen, Gaumen, Graben, Haufen, Hopfen, Klumpen, Kasten, Karren, Besen, Schuppen, Karpfen, Krapfen, Knoten, Kolben, Korken, Kragen, Lappen, Brunnen, Rahmen, Schaden, Ofen, Magen, Zapfen, Schinken, Knochen, Pfropfen, Topfen, Regen (rain), Reifen, Streifen, Tropfen, Hoden, Loden, Fladen, Roggen, Weizen, Segen, Husten, Schnupfen, Nacken, Packen, Rcken, Zacken, Zinken, Rachen, Rechen, Rochen, Wagen, Exceptions (neuter): Leben, Wissen, Essen, Kken, Laken, Leinen, Nomen, Becken, Examen, Fohlen, Wappen, Kissen, Eisen, Beben, Volumen, Treffen, Schreiben, Wesen, Zeichen, Examples (-el, masculine): Vogel (bird), Apfel (apple), Himmel (sky, heaven), Nebel (fog), Hagel (hail), Nagel (nail), Nabel (navel), Schnabel (beak), Hebel (lever), Kbel (bucket), Lffel (spoon), Hgel (hill), Gipfel (peak), Wipfel (treetop), Schlssel (key), Deckel (lid), Henkel (handle), Beutel (bag), Schenkel, Tempel, Zirkel, Wrfel, Handel (trade), Flgel (wing), Grtel (belt), Mantel (coat), Kegel, Ziegel, Kndel, Esel (donkey), Igel, Dackel, Pudel, Pinsel (paint brush), Titel (title), rmel, Muskel, Knchel, Knorpel, Tunnel (tunnel), Artikel (article), Pegel, Pickel, Winkel (angle), Stapel, Zettel, Sessel (chair), Jubel, Trubel, Mrtel, Meiel, Kessel (kettle), Kittel, Sockel, Tmpel, Mangel, Bffel, Rssel, Sbel, Bgel, Dbel, Egel, Engel (angel), Erpel, Pbel, Exceptions (-el, feminine): Schachtel (box), Schssel (bowl), Amsel, Drossel, Wachtel, Kordel, Kurbel, Achsel, Dattel, Ampel, Insel (island), Muschel, Regel (rule), Wurzel (root), Bibel, Fabel, Gabel (fork), Nadel (needle), Nudel, Kugel, Fackel, Gondel, Kapsel, Tafel, Rodel, Orgel, Formel (formula), Geisel, Distel, Eichel, Angel, Exceptions (-el, neuter): Segel (sail), Kabel (cable), Pendel (pendulum), Kapitel (chapter), Rtsel, Wiesel, Ziesel, Orakel, Ferkel, bel, Paddel, Debakel, Rudel, Nickel, Examples (-er, masculine): Acker, rger, Anker, Eifer, Eimer, Eiter, Hafer, Kfer, Biber, Tiger, Kater, Kader, Kder, Laser, Polster, Bagger, Becher, Bohrer, Hammer, Hamster, Bunker, Donner, Dotter, Dnger, Fcher, Falter, Fehler, Filter, Finger, Fhler, Hcker, Hocker, Hummer, Hunger, Ingwer, Jammer, Keller, Kerker, Kleber, Krper, Koffer, Krater, Khler, Kummer, Luster, Ordner, Panzer, Puffer, Sender, Sommer, Teller, Walzer, Wecker, Winter, Zauber, Zeiger, Zucker, Exceptions (-er, feminine): Ader, Butter, Dauer, Faser, Leiter, Feder, Feier, Leber, Mauer, Oper, Elster, Folter, Kammer, Nummer, Steuer, Trauer, Wimper, Ziffer, Exceptions (-er, neuter): Alter, Messer, Fenster, Feuer, Futter, Wasser, Wetter, Lager, Leder, Opfer, Puder, Pulver, Ruder, Ufer, Banner, Fieber, Gatter, Gitter, Kupfer, Muster, Poster, Silber, Wunder, Zimmer, Examples (masculine): Kopf, Zopf, Napf, Sumpf, Strumpf, Dampf, Kampf, Rumpf, Tropf, Knopf, Kropf, Krampf, Stumpf, Trumpf, Propf, Schopf, Topf, Unterschlupf, Gugelhupf, Examples: