In German, unlike English, nouns have grammatical gender instead of just biological gender.
| Gender | Examples | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der Mann, der Tisch | the man, the table |
| Feminine | die Frau, die Tür | the woman, the door |
| Neuter | das Kind, das Fenster | the child, the window |
How to find the gender of a noun
Clues of Masculine Nouns:
Typical Endings:
| Suffix | Examples | English |
|---|---|---|
| -er | der Computer, der Wecker | computer, alarm clock |
| -ig | der Honig, der Käfig | honey, cage |
| -ismus | der Idealismus, der Kapitalismus | idealism, capitalism |
| -ling | der Frühling, der Schilling | spring, shilling |
| -or | der Motor, der Reaktor | engine, reactor |
| -ich | der Teppich, der Teich | carpet, pond |
| -ist | der Komponist, der Egoist | composer, egoist |
Groups:
| Category | Examples (German) | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Male persons | der Vater, der Sohn | father, son |
| Names of days & months | der Montag, der August | Monday, August |
| Names of seasons | der Sommer, der Winter | summer, winter |
| Makes of cars | der BMW, der Jaguar | BMW, Jaguar |
| Alcoholic drinks | der Whisky, der Wein | whisky, wine |
Beer is an exception to the Alcoholic drinks rule, it is das Bier in German.
Clues of Feminine Nouns:
Typical Endings:
90% of Words that end in “e” are Feminine. Exceptions exist like der Name.
| Suffix | Examples (German) | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| -ei | die Bäckerei, die Türkei | bakery, Turkey |
| -enz | die Intelligenz, die Differenz | intelligence, difference |
| -heit | die Freiheit, die Dummheit | freedom, stupidity |
| -ie | die Demokratie, die Phantasie | democracy, imagination |
| -ion | die Nation, die Kommunikation | nation, communication |
| -keit | die Schwierigkeit, die Möglichkeit | difficulty, possibility/opportunity |
| -tät | die Universität, die Fakultät | university, faculty |
| -schaft | die Mannschaft, die Landschaft | team, landscape |
| -ung | die Wohnung, die Zeitung | flat, newspaper |
| -ur | die Kultur, die Natur | culture, nature |
Groups:
| Category | Examples (German) | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Female persons | die Mutter, die Tochter | mother, daughter |
| Names of motorbikes & ships | die BMW, die Titanic | BMW, Titanic |
| Names of trees & flowers | die Eiche, die Rose | oak, rose |
das Mädchen which means “girl” is a notable exception.
Clues of Neuter Nouns:
Typical Endings:
| Suffix | Examples (German) | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| -chen | das Mädchen, das Märchen | girl, fairy tale |
| -lein | das Fräulein, das Männlein | Miss, little man |
| -ma | das Klima, das Thema | climate, theme/topic |
| -ment | das Dokument, das Instrument | document, instrument |
| -o | das Kino, das Büro | cinema, office |
| -um | das Album, das Zentrum | album, centre |
die Firma (company) is a notable exception.
Groups:
| Category | Examples (German) | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Young persons | das Baby, das Kind | baby, child |
| Infinitives used as nouns | das Singen, das Tanzen | singing, dancing |
| Names of most metals | das Silber, das Gold | silver, gold |
| Diminutives | das Tischlein | small table |
For Compound Words:
In compound words, the last noun is dictates the gender.
Example:
- die Telefonnummer
- das Computerspiel