Nouns and Gender
German Grammar 1
Chapter 2 · Nouns and Gender
🏷️ Nouns and Gender — Nomen und Genus
Every German noun has a gender: masculine (der), feminine (die) or neuter (das). The gender is a grammatical label, not a description: a girl is das Mädchen (neuter), a spoon is der Löffel (masculine), a fork is die Gabel (feminine). You will have met many nouns with their articles in German Basic Conversation 1 to 4. This chapter shows how to learn the rest without guessing.
The three genders at a glance
| Gender | Article | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der | der Mann man · der Tisch table · der Löffel spoon |
| Feminine | die | die Frau woman · die Lampe lamp · die Gabel fork |
| Neuter | das | das Kind child · das Buch book · das Messer knife |
Endings that predict the gender
Nearly always feminine
| Ending | Examples | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| -ung | die Zeitung, die Wohnung | newspaper, flat |
| -heit / -keit | die Freiheit, die Möglichkeit | freedom, possibility |
| -schaft | die Freundschaft | friendship |
| -ei | die Bäckerei | bakery |
| -ion | die Nation, die Information | nation, information |
| -tät | die Universität, die Qualität | university, quality |
| -ik / -ur | die Musik, die Kultur | music, culture |
| -in (female person) | die Lehrerin, die Ärztin | female teacher, female doctor |
Nearly always masculine
| Ending | Examples | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| -er (a person who does something) | der Lehrer, der Fahrer | teacher, driver |
| -ling | der Frühling, der Lehrling | spring, apprentice |
| -ismus | der Tourismus | tourism |
| -or | der Motor | engine |
Nearly always neuter
| Ending | Examples | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| -chen / -lein | das Mädchen, das Brötchen | girl, bread roll |
| -ment | das Dokument, das Instrument | document, instrument |
| -um | das Museum, das Datum | museum, date |
| verbs used as nouns | das Essen, das Lernen | food / eating, learning |
| colours as nouns | das Blau, das Rot | the blue, the red |
Compound nouns: the last part decides
German builds long nouns by joining shorter ones. The last part is the main word, so it decides the gender (and the plural).
| Parts | Compound | Gender from |
|---|---|---|
| das Haus + die Tür | die Haustür front door | die Tür |
| die Hand + der Schuh | der Handschuh glove | der Schuh |
| das Wasser + die Flasche | die Wasserflasche water bottle | die Flasche |
| der Hund + die Hütte | die Hundehütte kennel | die Hütte |
| das Kind + das Zimmer | das Kinderzimmer children's room | das Zimmer |
A small linking letter often sits between the parts (Hundehütte, Geburtstag); it changes nothing about the gender.
The weak nouns
A small group of masculine nouns adds -n or -en in every form except the plain nominative singular. They mostly name people and animals, and many end in -e. For now just recognise them; the cases follow in German Grammar 1 5 and German Grammar 1 6.
| Noun | Meaning | Form to learn |
|---|---|---|
| der Junge | boy | Junge → Jungen |
| der Name | name | Name → Namen |
| der Kollege | colleague | Kollege → Kollegen |
| der Student | student | Student → Studenten |
| der Mensch | person, human | Mensch → Menschen |
Capital letters
In German every noun starts with a capital letter, not only names: Der Hund liegt unter dem Tisch. The same goes for a word used as a noun: das Essen (eating), das Gute (the good). Days and months are capitalised too, but adverbs made from them are not: am Montag (on Monday) against montags (on Mondays). Adjectives of nationality are lower-case (deutsch) while the person is capitalised (der Deutsche).
🗣️ In Use — Im Gebrauch
The rules in real sentences. Read each exchange aloud and spot the pattern.
① Which article?
② A compound
③ Who is that?
📋 Quick Reference — Kurzübersicht
| Clue | Gender | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ei, -ion, -tät, -ik, -ur, -in | die | die Zeitung, die Freiheit |
| -er (doer), -ling, -ismus, -or | der | der Lehrer, der Frühling |
| -chen, -lein, -ment, -um, verbs as nouns | das | das Mädchen, das Essen |
| days, months, seasons, most weather | der | der Montag, der Regen |
| compound noun | last part | die Haustür |
| always | capital letter | der Tisch |
✏️ Try It Yourself — Übungen
Say the answer first, then click to check.
1. Give the article of Zeitung, Lehrer and Mädchen.
Show answer
die Zeitung (-ung), der Lehrer (-er, a doer), das Mädchen (-chen).
2. What is the article of Möglichkeit and why?
Show answer
die, because words ending in -keit are feminine.
3. Make a compound from die Wand (wall) and die Uhr (clock) and give its article.
Show answer
die Wanduhr (wall clock); the gender comes from Uhr.
4. What is the gender of Kaffeetasse (Kaffee + Tasse)?
Show answer
Feminine: die Kaffeetasse, because die Tasse is the last part.
5. Why is die Mutter feminine although it ends in -er?
Show answer
It names a female person, so meaning wins. -er is only masculine for a person who does something (Lehrer), and there are other exceptions such as das Zimmer.
6. Which two nouns are neuter: Mädchen, Montag, Dokument, Lehrling?
Show answer
das Mädchen and das Dokument. Montag and Lehrling are masculine.
7. Give the article of Januar and Sommer.
Show answer
Both masculine: der Januar, der Sommer (months and seasons).
8. Correct the capitals: der hund liegt unter dem tisch.
Show answer
Der Hund liegt unter dem Tisch. Every noun has a capital letter.
9. What kind of noun is der Student, and what do you add in most forms other than the plain nominative singular?
Show answer
A weak (masculine) noun; it adds -en: Studenten.