Nouns in German, as in Russian, there can be three genders: male, female and neuter:
der (ein) Mann (m) - man ( masculine– Maskulinum)
die (eine) Frau (f) - woman (feminine - Femininum),
das (ein) Fenster (n) - window (neuter - Neutrum).
Gender in German, as you can see, is expressed through the article.
The man will, of course, be masculine, and the woman feminine.
But with inanimate objects it is already more difficult. They, as in Russian, are not necessarily of the middle, “neutral” gender, but belong to different genders. Closet in Russian, for some reason, a man, but shelf- a woman, although they have no sexual characteristics. Likewise in German. The trouble is that the gender in Russian and German often does not match, that the Germans see the gender of objects in a different way. It may (accidentally) coincide, it may not. For example, der Schrank (cabinet)- male, 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, by the shape of a word, you can guess what kind it is. For example, by the way the word ends. As in Russian words for -ost, - tsiya, - iya, - aya, - tsa, - ka, - ah ...- feminine, and german words on the:
die Melo die- melody, die Situa tion– situation, die Kult ur– culture, die Tend enz- trend, die Speziali tat- a traditional dish (of any region), die Maler ei– painting, die Fest ung- fortress, die Frei heit- freedom, die Möglich keit– opportunity, die Wissen schaft- the science…
Some suffixes, which 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 that end in -e, most often feminine: die Wanna – bath, die Woche - a week. This -e corresponds to the Russian ending -and I). But in Russian there are also masculine words with a similar ending (uncle, cabin boy). Likewise in German: der Junge is a boy.
Note also that the words -ling always masculine: Lehr ling (student, apprentice).
Many monosyllabic (sometimes two-syllable - because of the prefix) nouns formed from verbs belong to the masculine gender:
derBeginning< – 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).
It also greatly facilitates the fact that you can take any verb in the indefinite form and attach the neuter article to it. Get the name of the process:
Das Sprechen< – sprechen (говорение – говорить), das Leben < – leben (жизнь – жить), das Essen < – essen (еда – есть).
Signs that the word is masculine:
Signs that the word is feminine:
Signs that the word is neuter:
Interestingly, some nouns have different meanings depending on the gender. For example:
der See (lake) - die See (sea),
der Band (volume) - das Band (tape),
das Steuer (rudder, 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)
The definition of the gender of nouns in German is not much different from the Russian language, since it also has three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. The article is used for correct designation. Animate nouns are determined by gender, while inanimate nouns require memorization or identification of special features.
How to determine the gender of a noun in German?
To determine the gender of nouns in German, special rules are used.
masculine The table below will help you determine German nouns online. It should be remembered that the article der is used, and the masculine gender is denoted by the letter m.
| Noun groups | Example |
| Natural Differences | der Lehrer (teacher), der Kaufman (salesman), der Vater (father), der Sohn (son), der Onkel (uncle) |
| Animals | der Esel (donkey), der Hahn (rooster), der Kater (cat) |
| Seasons Days of the week |
der Mittwoch (Wednesday), der Winter (winter), der Februar (February) |
| Alcohol | der Kognak (cognac), der Wein (wine), der Wodka (vodka) |
| Car brands | der Mercedes, der BMW, der Opel |
| Minerals and rocks | der Diamant (diamond), der Granit (granite) |
| Cardinal points, climate | der West (west), der Monsun (monsoon), der Regen (rain), der Reif (frost) |
| Mountain peaks | der Elbrus, der Mt. Everest *** In the case when the name is a compound word, the gender is determined by the main word. Example, die Zug spitze, da Matter horn |
| Nouns that do not have a suffix and were formed from a verb | der Gang (walk), der Sprung (jump) |
| Nouns with endings: | der Fuchs (fox), der Essig (vinegar), der Schmetterling (butterfly) |
| Words of foreign origin with the ending: Ant, -ar, -ent, -et, -ist, -loge, -or, -us |
der Doktorant (doctoral student), der Millionär, der Absolvent (graduate), der Prophet (prophet), der Ingenieur, der Pianist, der Biologe, der Lektor, der Zyklus ***There are exceptions - das Genus, das Tempus |
Define feminine(the article die and the use of the letter f) of a noun in German online, the following table will help.
| Noun groups | Example |
| Natural Differences | Mutter (mother), die Tochter (daughter), die Lehrerin (teacher), die Verkäuferin (saleswoman), die Katze (cat), die Eselin (donkey), die Henne (chicken) ***In certain cases, the grammatical gender does not correspond to the natural. Example, die Wache (guard), das Mannequin (fashion model), das Fräulein (girl), das Mädchen (girl), das Weib (woman). There is no natural distinction. Example: das Rind (Bulle - Kuh), das Reh (Bock - Ricke). One word is used to designate a male and female animal: die Maus (mouse), das Wiesel (weasel) |
| Aircraft and ships | die Boeing, die DC 10 |
| Types of flowers and trees | die Birke (birch), die Rose, die Orchidee *** If the name of the tree contains the word Baum, then the compound word is masculine: der Birnbaum (pear), der Kaffeebaum (coffee tree) |
| Name of tobacco products | die camel |
| Substantiated numerals | die Eins (one), die Drei (three), die Hundert (hundred), die Million (million) *** Exclusion of numbers that indicate the amount of the middle gender: das Hundert (one hundred) |
| Nouns ending in -e | die Lampe (lamp), die Bremse (brake) |
| Noun derived from a verb ending in -t | die Fahrt (ride, ride), die Schlacht (hit) ***Exceptions: der Durst (thirst), der Frost (frost), der Verlust (loss), der Dienst (service), das Gift (poison) |
| The noun has a suffix Ei, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ung |
die Backerei (bakery), die Schönheit (beauty), die Ewigkeit (eternity), die Freundschaft (friendship), die Hoffnung (hope) |
| Words of foreign origin with endings Age, -at, anz, -enz, -ie, -ik, -ion, -ur |
die Etage, die Qualität, die Allianz, die Konsistenz, die Geographie, die Physik, die Revolution, die Dressur |
Neuter gender marked with the letter n, and the article das is used. The designations of neuter nouns are given in the table.
| Noun groups | Example |
| Cafes, cinemas, hotels and hotels | das Leipzig, das Astoria |
| Chemical elements | das Kupfer (copper), das Radium (radium) |
| Language, units, letters and colors | das Liter (liter), das Schwarz (black), das Englische (English), das Hindi (Hindi) |
| Household chemicals | das E, das Ariel |
| Islands, continents, cities and terrain. Moreover, if there is no article in the name, then if there is an adjective or participial noun, the noun is used with the article das | (das nordliche) Africa, (das alte) Moskau |
| The diminutive suffix -chen and -lein is used | das Mäuschen (mouse), das Tischlein (table) |
| A collective noun with the prefix Ge- | das Gebirge (mountains), das Gerede (talks, rumors) |
| Foreign words ending -ett, -il, -ma, -o, -(m)ent, -um | das Tablett (tray), das Ventil (faucet), das Drama (drama), das Auto (car), das Dokument (document), das Gymnasium (gymnasium) |
| Substantivized infinitives | das Sprechen (speaking), das Lesen (reading) |
| Almost all nouns ending in -nis | das Ergebnis (result), das Gedächtnis (memory) ***Certain nouns can be feminine or plural: die Erlaubnis (permission, feminine), die Wildnis (wilderness, feminine), die Bitternis – bitterness (feminine) or grief (pl. ) |
Compound nouns
The gender of compound nouns depends on the gender of the main word. In this case, the first part is the defining word, and the last is the main word.
Der Küchenschrank (kitchen cabinet, kitchen cupboard) = die Küche (kitchen) + der Schrank (cupboard).
In a compound noun, the main word is only the name of the noun, and all kinds of parts of speech can be the defining word:
- IN singular die Tisch lampe- desk lamp.
- Plural –der Kräuter tee- herbal tea
- Verb – das Schlafzimmer- bedroom.
- Short adjective - der Kurz streik- Short strike.
- Preposition - das Neben amt- part-time position.
Words in a compound noun are attached to each other directly (das Schlafzimmer), or with the help of connecting elements - (e) s, (e) n - die Lebensmittel, der Küchenschrank.
When defining complex abbreviated words, you should also pay attention to the main word. For example, a passenger car - der PKW = der Personenkraftwagen.
In German, certain words are abbreviated so that only the beginning of the word or the end remains. An example is - die Universität (university) - die Uni, der Autobus (bus) - der Bus. Thanks to such abbreviations, the gender of the full word is preserved.
Note that some nouns have different meanings depending on gender. These include:
- der See (lake) - die See (sea);
- der Band (volume) - das Band (tape);
- das Steuer (rudder, 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).
Determining the gender of German nouns online
To consolidate the material, we suggest learning how to determine the case of a noun in German and put the correct article instead of dots. Exercises for determining the gender of a noun in German
a. by semantic meaning
- male persons:
der Mann - man, der Onkel - uncle; - male animals:
der Bär - bear, der Hahn - rooster; - names of countries of the world, lakes, mountains and winds:
der Osten - East, der Bodensee - Lake Constance,
der Harz - Harz, der Taifun - typhoon; - names of the seasons, months and days of the week:
der Sommer - summer, der Januar - January, der Sonntag - Sunday.
b. in form
- nouns with suffixes -er, -neg, -ler, -ling:
der Schlosser - locksmith, der Redner - speaker,
der Sportler - athlete, der Lehrling - student; - most of the nouns formed from the stem of the verb without adding a suffix:
der Lauf (run) - from laufen (run)
der Sprung (jump) - from springen (to jump); - foreign (borrowed from other languages) nouns with suffixes -ist, -ent, -ant, -eur, -är, -or, -ismus:
der Polizist, der Student, der Aspirant, der Ingenieur, der Militär, der Doktor, der Egoismus.
The feminine gender in German is:
a. by semantic meaning
- nouns denoting:
- female persons:
die Frau - woman, die Tante - aunt.
Exception: das Mädchen - girl, girl, das Weib - woman, woman; - some female animals:
die Kuh - cow, die Katze - cat.
Exception: das Schaf - sheep; - names of most flowers, trees and songbirds:
die Rose - rose, die Tanne - spruce, die Eiche - oak,
die Lerche - lark, die Nachtigall - nightingale; - names of most German rivers:
die Elbe - Elbe, die Spree - Spree, die Saale - Hall, etc.
Exception: der Rhein, der Main, der Neckar, der Inn; - river names that have feminine equivalents in Russian:
die Wolga - Volga, die Oka - Oka, die Kama - Kama ( with the exception of: der Ob - Ob).
b. in form
- nouns with suffixes -in, -ung, -keit, -heit, -schaft, -ei:
- -in:
die Sängerin - singer
die Bärin - she-bear - - ung:
die Forderung - requirement
die Zeitung - newspaper - - keith:
die Möglichkeit - opportunity
die Richtigkeit - correctness - - heit:
die Kindheit - childhood
die Neuheit - news - - schaft:
die Wirtschaft - household
die Bereitschaft - readiness - -ei:
die Bäckerei - bakery
die Bücherei - library;
- borrowed nouns with suffixes -ie, -ik, -ion, -tion, -tat, -ur:
die Chemie, die Mathematik, die Million, die Organization, die Fakultät, die Natur.
The neuter gender in German includes:
a. by semantic meaning
- names of parts of the world, countries and cities:
(das) Europa - Europe, (das) China - China, (das) Belgien - Belgium,
(das) München - Munich, (das) Prag - Prague, etc.
Exception: country names ending in -ei, -au:
die Mongolei - Mongolia, die Moldau - Moldova, and also die Schweiz - Switzerland,
der Iran - Iran, die Ukraine - Ukraine and some others; - metal names:
das Eisen - iron, das Gold - gold, etc.
Exception: der Stahl - steel, der Schwefel - sulfur; - names of children (baby animals):
das Kind - child, das Kalb - calf, das Lamm - lamb, etc.; - letter names:
das "A", das "Z".
b. in form
- diminutive nouns with suffixes -chen, -lein and with suffixes -tel, -tum:
das Häuschen - house, das Büchlein - little book,
das Viertel - quarter, das Eigentum - property; - nouns formed from adjectives with a suffix -e and denoting abstract concepts:
das Neue - new, das Interessante - interesting; - borrowed nouns with suffix -um, -ment:
das Museum - museum, das Dokument - document.
- Some German nouns with the same spelling and pronunciation have, depending on the gender different meaning:
- die See (sea) - der See (lake);
die Steuer (tax) - das Steuer (rudder), etc.
The gender of nouns in German and Russian often does not match, so it is necessary to memorize nouns with a definite article.
Compare:
- das Pferd (neuter) - horse (feminine);
der Hund (masculine) - dog (feminine);
der Baum (masculine) - tree (neuter);
die Stunde (feminine) - lesson (masculine);
der Spiegel (masculine) - mirror (neuter), etc.
- The gender of any noun can be checked in a dictionary. In dictionaries, the following abbreviations are used to indicate the gender of a noun:
- m(from Latin word masculinum- masculine);
- f(from the Latin word femininum- feminine gender);
- n(from the Latin word neutrum- neuter gender).
A noun in German, as in Russian, has a category of gender: 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 the 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 these nouns. The gender of nouns can be determined:
- according to the meaning of the word
- in the form of a word
Masculine by value:
- male persons | der Mann (male) |
- male animals | der Bär (bear) |
- sides of the world | der Norden (north) |
- Seasons | der Sommer (summer) |
- month names | 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) |
- mountain names | der Harz (Harz) |
- names of lakes | der Baikal (Baikal) |
- alcohol | 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) |
- brand names | der Opel, der BMW |
Masculine in form:
-er | der Fahrer (driver) |
-ler | der Sportler (athlete) |
-ner | der Gartner (gardener) |
-ling | der Lehrling (student) |
-s | der Fuchs (fox) |
Note: do not confuse the suffix -er in derivative nouns with words whose root ends 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 Publicist (publicist) |
-et | der Poet (poet) |
-ot | der Pilot (pilot) |
-at | der Candidate (candidate) |
-soph | der Philosoph (philosopher) |
-nom | der Astronom (astronomer) |
-graph | der Photograph (photographer) |
-eur | der Ingenieur (engineer) |
-ier | der Pionier (pioneer) |
-ar | der Jubilar (jubilee) |
-ar | der Sekretär (Secretary) |
-or | der Doctor (doctor) |
Note: inanimate nouns with suffixes -ent, -at,-et can be both masculine and neuter: der Kontinent - das Patent, der Apparat - das Referat, der Planet - das Alphabet.
Feminine by value:
- female faces | die Frau (female) But das Madchen |
- female animals | die Kuh (cow), But das Huhn (chicken), das Schaf (sheep) |
- tree names | die Birke (birch), But der Ahorn |
- color names | die Aster (aster), But der Mohn (poppy), der Kaktus (cactus) |
- names of berries | die Himbeere (raspberry) |
- names 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 in 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) |
-tat | die Universität (university) |
-tion | die Station (station) |
-ur | die Kultur (culture) |
-ik | die Physik (physics) |
-age | die Reportage |
-ade | die Fassade (facade) |
-anz | die Ambulanz (outpatient clinic) |
-enz | die Existenz (existence) |
Note: there are also a number of nouns male 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 value:
- 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 (Antarctic) |
- countries | (das) Deutschland, Butder Iran, der Iraq, der Sudan, die BRD, die Schweiz, die Türkei, die Mongolei, die Ukraine, die USA |
- cities | (das) Moscow, But der Haag |
- the names of the islands | (das) Rugen, But die Krim (Crimea) |
- physical units | das Kilowatt (kilowatt) |
- languages | das Russisch (Russian language) |
Middle gender in form:
- Foreign words (objects and abstract concepts) ending in: | |
-(i)um | das Stadium (stadium) |
-ett | das Kabinett (cabinet) |
-ment | das Document (document) |
-ma | das Drama (drama) |
-o | das Kino (cinema) |
— Substantiated infinitives: | das Laufen (run) - from laufen (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 surest way not to get confused when assigning a noun to one gender or another is to simply learn it with the article!
The gender of compound nouns depends on the gender of the main word. The first part of the word is called the defining word, the last component compound word called the base word.
Der Kuchen schrank(kitchen cabinet, kitchen sideboard) = die Küche (kitchen) + der Schrank (cupboard)
The main word of a compound noun can only be a noun. Various parts of speech act as a defining word: the noun in the singular (die Tischlampe - table lamp) and in plural(der Kräutertee - herbal tea), verb (das Schlafzimmer - bedroom), adjective in short form (der Kurzstreik - short-term strike), preposition (das Nebenamt - part-time position).
Words that make up a compound noun are attached 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 main word: der PKW = der Personenkraftwagen - a 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 abbreviated in this way retains the gender of the full word.
Some nouns have different meanings depending on the gender:
- der See (lake) - die See (sea),
- der Band (volume) - das Band (tape),
- das Steuer (rudder, steering wheel) - die Steuer (tax),
- der Leiter (head) - die Leiter (ladder),
- der Tor (fool) - das Tor (gate),
- der Schild (shield) - das Schild (signboard, tablet),
- der Bauer (peasant) - das Bauer (cage)
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If you have ever studied German, you know that nouns in this language are divided into three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. Why know the gender of a noun? Everything is simple. Without gender, you will not be able to use the word correctly in a sentence.
In this article, you will learn how to easily determine the gender of a German noun, even if you met it for the first time.
How to find out the gender of a German noun by the definite article
If you come across a new noun, you can recognize its gender by the definite article. Each of the three genders in German has its own article.
How to find out the gender of a German noun by suffix
The article method is effective, but what if the noun does not have an article? In this case, the form of the word will help you. Some suffixes correspond to one of the three genders.
masculine
Note that -er is not always a masculine suffix. Sometimes -er can be integral part the root of a feminine or neuter noun. Example: die Mutter (mother) or das Fenster (window).
Feminine
Neuter gender
How to find out the gender of a German noun by meaning
If you cannot recognize the gender of a noun by its form or article, the meaning of the word can help you. The fact is that many groups of nouns correspond to only one gender.
masculine
Feminine
Neuter gender
Determine the gender of nouns together
We have paid enough attention to theory, now it is time to apply new knowledge in practice.
Exercise 1: determine the gender of the noun by the article.
Exercise 2: determine the gender of the noun by the suffix.
Exercise 3: determine the gender of a noun by meaning.
More German practice with a native speaker
If you want to learn German but don't know where to start, sign up for first free lesson in our online center. The session will be led by one of our professional tutors from Germany– Christoph Deininger and Eliane Roth. They will be happy to answer all your questions related to the German language and German culture, as well as help you create the optimal class schedule.
