How to identify a noun
How to determine the gender of a noun
How to learn the gender of nouns

How to identify a noun

• the or a/an can usually be placed in front of a noun.
• nouns can be pluralized: dog/dogs, cat/cats, man/men.
• nouns can be modified to signal possession: dog's tail, cat's paw.
• in written German, all nouns are capitalized: der Hund, die Katze.

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How to determine the gender of a noun

German nouns fall into three groups: der, die, and das words or masculine, feminine, and neuter. Although there are no rules for determining the gender of all nouns in German, below are a few guidelines:

Masculine

1. Nouns referring to male persons, their professions, nationalities
der Mann, der Sohn, der Mechaniker, der Arzt, der Amerikaner

2. Most nouns ending in -en
der Wagen, der Garten, der Osten, der Norden, usw.

3. Names of all seasons, months, days of the week
der Herbst, der Winter, der Januar, der Montag

Feminine

1. Nouns referring to female persons, their professions, nationalities
die Frau, die Tochter, die Mechanikerin, die Ärztin, die Amerikanerin

2. All nouns ending in -ei, -ie, -ik, -ion, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -tät, -ung

3. Most nouns ending in unstressed -e
die Liebe, die Straße, die Frage
Common exceptions: der Name, der Käse, das Ende, das Auge

Neuter

1. Nouns referring to young animals and human beings
das Lamm, das Kind, das Baby

2. Most nouns ending in -o, -nis
das Auto, das Kino, das Ergebnis, das Bedürfnis, usw.

2. Nouns with diminutive suffix -chen or -lein
All nouns become neuter and usually add an umlaut when they take on the diminutive form
die Stadt –› das Städtchen, der Hund –› das Hündchen

3. Infinites used as nouns
das Fernsehen (watching TV), das Schlafen (sleeping), das Essen (meal, eating)

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How to learn the gender of nouns

In addition to learning these guidelines, flash cards are also very helpful. Frequency of exposure is crucial, and flash cards allow you the opportunity to use "down time" during the day like the few minutes before your teacher walks into class to master gender and vocabulary.

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