It is important to know that the gender of German nouns rarely relates to the sex of the person or thing it refers to. German has three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. These articles are used to identify the gender of the noun they go with. Usually, the gender of a noun is determined by its ending. What are your top tips for learning the genders of German nouns? These became. Rather than arguing over whether a table should be masculine, feminine or neutral (for the record, it’s masculine – Der Tisch), we can begin to understand why this is the case. When you’re learning German, it’s important to remember that the word, not the thing, has a gender. From this, you can deduce that the following words are masculine: Feminine German nouns use the definite article die (the) and indefinite article eine (a/an). Learning new words and figuring out how they’re related to other languages is one of my favourite parts of language learning. You can stick to methods that are a little bit more conventional or go completely crazy with colour coding ALL THE NOUNS. You’ve got a one in three chance of getting it right. Another memory tool you can use here is association – also known as letting your imagination run wild. The indefinite article ("a" or "an" in English) is ein or eine in German. Adjectives, articles and pronouns are also affected by whether a noun is singular or plural. How does that make sense? Most countries are spelled differently in German than English and they may be masculine, feminine, or neuter. Page description: In a rare bow to logic, German noun genders actually make sense when they match the biological gender of the noun. A table is “male” and a book is “neuter” and insurance is “female” not because of physical gender, but for rather more complex reasons mostly having to do with how the plural is formed. So, der/die/das become die/die/die. After all, what’s the worst that can happen? Last but not least: You are probably aware of the fact that there are much more rules. As alluded to earlier, German nouns are always one of three genders: masculine, feminine or neuter. Genders. Also, anything to do with calendar dates tends to be masculine – days, months and seasons fall under this category. In German, all nouns are either masculine, feminine or neuter. You have die Gabel (the fork), der Löffel (the spoon) and das Messer (the knife). If you’re approaching language learning with the goal of becoming a polyglot at some point in the future, then it is really important that you take the time to learn and understand gendered nouns. As with masculine nouns, the easiest way to identify a feminine noun is to look at the word ending. Nevertheless, all German nouns that refer to male humans or male occupations and male animals are always masculine in German. How grammatical genders influence our worldview. For someone who is just starting out with German, this can be really confusing – especially as the genders don’t necessarily seem logical. Sausage is feminine, cheese is masculine, bread is neuter. Der Schule is not a masculine nominative, but either the feminine genitive aka possessive ("the school's") or the feminine dative (indirect object: "to / for the school"). German is different. Unlike in English, each noun in German has its own gender; either masculine (der), feminine (die), or neuter (das). Genders in German were originally intended to signify three grammatical categories that words could be grouped into. When this masculine word refers to a female it is still masculine, and thus requires masculine declension of adverbs and adjectives. For sure, other German-speaking people will be impressed by your German gender skills. This makes sense. For instance "tabula" (table) is grammatically feminine, even though a table is obviously not actually female. Going from English as a genderless language to German as a language with three genders is no easy task! Although they don’t always make sense, they are something you have to learn. And you can argue the why of it until you’re blue in the face, but the fact is – gender is something you’re going to have to learn. If you find yourself mid-conversation, and you’re unsure of the gender of a noun, just guess. Look out for the following word endings: -e (mostly, as the exception is male persons or animals, such as der Löwe (the lion)), -ie, -heit, -ei, -in, -ik, -keit, – schaft, -ung, -tät, -ur, -tion. Some countries fall into this category. That’s because in English, gender refers to the actual gender of the noun being referenced. When German nouns become plural, they adopt the feminine definite article of die. However, German articles change according to the gender of the noun. I've been in Austin a few days and I can already see that it's going to be a fun month here!! Native German speakers are notoriously direct and will be more than happy to help you out! I recommend creating a deck of flashcards for the words whose genders you must remember. Male family members and … If you say or write a German word without the article that dictates gender, you won’t be using the noun correctly. For example, der Mann becomes die Männer. The answer: all German nouns have gender. The article before the noun shows its gender: masculine: der Kaffee, der Tee, der Saft. On top of using German genders in real conversations, here are my top tips for making them fun to learn. In German, EVERY noun has a gender. Now, a lot of words in English mean “beautiful”. Der, die and das are definite articles, and replace the English word “the”, while ein and eine are the indefinite articles for “a”/“an”. Who made these decisions to begin with?! You can tell someone they’re cute, pretty, elegant, handsome… So many synonyms for the same word, and new ones popping up and fading out all the time (like “looking fly” or “on [...], Here’s an easy way to learn the days of the week in Spanish. Strong and mixed endings are the same for both masculine and neuter words in the nominative or accusative case. And any that you may choose to study after that. It's easiest to simply memorize which gender is associated with which country in the German language as you learn the spellings of the countries themselves. Girl is a feminine word, boy is masculine, and table is neutral. I am also planning to write such thorough posts on feminine and neuter nouns. Finally, male animals and weather elements are usually masculine. neuter: das Wasser, das Bier. For masculine or neuter nouns, only ein is correct. What about der Fremdling, the stranger? German feminine nouns list German feminine nouns will always take the definite article die and idefinite article eine in both the normative and accusative cases.Although you can sometimes define feminine nouns by the type of noun, such as feminine persons, flower species, there is in fact a very large number of nouns, where you can identify the feminine noun by the ending. If you get it wrong, chances are someone will correct you (especially in Germany) and you’ll know how to say it right the next time you need to use that particular word. Choose the Correct German Adjective Ending In 4 Steps. Anki is my favourite tool for this. German nouns are either masculine, feminine or neuter. As hard as it may be to make sense of them when you’re starting out, I promise you that it will get easier with the next language you learn. All you can do is sit there and scratch your head. And most Germans will correct you on the spot if you’re wrong, so you can learn as you go. Enjoy! 1) Learn nouns with their genders In German, the gender tells you more than just what pronoun to use ("er" = he, "sie" = she, "es" = it). Ein basically means "one" and like the definite article, it indicates the gender of the noun it goes with ( eine or ein ). Take cutlery for example. Also, most metals, as well as babies (both human and animal) tend to have neutral genders. You can see at least, how we can then make the distinction between words being grouped together for their intended gender, rather than the gender of an object itself. This language was okay when I started, but now it’s too difficult. "the house" is written as "das Haus". Girl is a feminine word, boy is masculine, and table is neutral. In German a noun can be masculine, feminine or neuter. So, the masculine article is “der”, the feminine “die”, and the neuter article “das”. This makes sense. Other times the genders are pretty randomly assigned. I have actually intentionally not been out so much, in order to do some writing and ASL learning in preparation before the city explodes into a social frenzy from next week when the immense [...], What holds you back from speaking another language? endings that indicated that a word was of, endings that indicated a group of people or things. Most inanimate objects do fall under the category of neutral. In German, however, we have three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine and neuter and it’s important to remember the gender of the nouns, because it determines the article you’re going to use. PRODUCTS • ABOUT BENNY • MEET BENNY • CONTACT • SPEAK IN A WEEK • LANGUAGE HACKING BOOKS • PRIVACY POLICY, Fun-loving Irish guy, full-time globe trotter and international bestselling author. When you’re learning German, it’s important to remember that the word, not the thing, has a gender. They are masculine, feminine or neuter. Der Hund (dog) is masculine. Learning German? Masculine, feminine and neuter We can put it off no longer. 2.3 The gender of German nouns. Not bad odds. One of the major difficulties experienced by English speakers when learning German is that all German nouns, whether they represent persons, things or ideas have a grammatical gender. The gender of a noun is indicated by its preceding article: „der“ (for masculine nouns), “die” (for feminine nouns), and “das” (for … Learning how to say the Spanish days of the week is an important first step for beginners. Label objects around the house, according to the gender of each noun. German nouns have a grammatical gender. Das Pferd (horse) is neuter. Many languages, particularly in Europe, have gendered nouns. There are three genders in German: masculine (männlich), feminine (weiblich) and neuter (sächlich). Masculine German nouns take the definite article der (the) and indefinite ein (a/an). In English, we call all things – for example, table, car, book, apple – ‘it’, but in German, even words for things have a gender. My top tip for language learners is always to speak from day one. English words have genders too – they just tend to be obvious. Let’s say you wanted to learn the gender for strawberry, Die Erdbeeren. There are three genders: masculine, feminine, neuter, plus plural. With that in mind, let’s see how learning German genders can be made simple. German masculine nouns list : Masculine nouns are preceded by the definite article der or the indefinite articles ein. It is, however, one of the two elements that decide which definite or indefinite article goes before it. There are THREE possible genders in German: feminine, masculine, and neuter). In the following, we will try to outline the rules for nouns of each gender in the German language. I don’t have enough money to travel the world and properly learn this language. Instead, focus on the best ways to remember word genders. To figure out whether a word is masculine, look for the following word endings: -er, -el, -ling, -ich, -ig, -ner, -ismus, -or, -us, -eich, -ant. All German nouns are one of three genders: masculine, feminine or neutral. I flunked languages in school. Kleiner Tisch — small table (masculine) Kleine Blume — small flower (feminine) Kleines Sofa — small sofa (neuter) Gender and Pronouns. This is not because they are changing gender – it is because the indefinite article is (technically) dropped. The three gender markers that mean the (singular) in German are der (masculine), die (feminine), and das (neuter). In English, the articles remain the same, irrespective of the gender of the noun. Following this rule, you’ll be correct around 80% of the time. English has only one gender marker for the definite article of all nouns, namely the. The plural form of the definite article is die. Schatz is more common with Girlfriend / Wife and i would deem it inappropriate for a date, as it suggests a deeper or even binding relationship when used as calling name. Learn how to use gender in German in this guide for students aged 11 to 14 from BBC Bitesize. The gender of German nouns can be identified by the article they take; der for masculine, die for feminine and das for neuter. This is what we’re left with today, in a rather convoluted way! I’m too old to learn a [...]. Until then, you’ll have to learn genders. Unfortunately, not all German nouns can be neatly grouped into the categories I outlined above. To point out the gender of nouns, you use different gender markers. That’s because in English, gender refers to the actual gender of the noun being referenced. Who knows – maybe in time the German language will simplify and gendered nouns will become redundant. One important thing as we get started: All nouns are written with the first letter capitalized. In German, all nouns have a particular grammatical gender. My name is Kerstin and I’m a dictionary fiend. Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips. Unfortunately there are very few general rules as to which nouns have which articles. This is called their gender. You’ll be surprised by what colour association can do for your memory. However, for about 80% of nouns, the grammatical gender can be deduced from their singular … Masculine. It’s completely up to you! THIS is how I learn a language in 3 months. Die Katzte (cat), however, is feminine. That gender is not necessarily the actual gender of the corresponding real-life object; instead it is purely grammatical. Step 1: Is the noun masculine, feminine, or neuter? For example, Switzerland is feminine (die Schweiz) and the USA is plural (die USA). Funnily enough, things that would normally be associated with femininity are usually feminine too – like flowers and trees, along with female animals and people. English words have genders too – they just tend to be obvious. How could a table have a gender? Sometimes it's easy to work out the gender of a noun, as certain words are always a specific gender. That’s because in German, the gender of a noun is part of its identity. While native German speakers intuitively know which article to use, it is best for German learners to learn the article together with the noun. You’re going to stumble into the odd word that seems to play by its own rules. In this section, I refer to definite articles and indefinite articles. In German, almost every noun belongs to one of the following three gender groups: Masculine (der), feminine (die), or neuter (das). The answers cover this question, but for completeness’ sake: das Wasser. A noun’s gender has little or nothing to do with the meaning of the noun itself. The very first thing I did when I began learning German was to get off by heart all the forms of Der, Die, Das, by gender, case and number. Pick some Post-It notes – maybe pink for feminine words, blue for masculine words and yellow for neutral. You create an association in your mind by imagining your mother giving you some strawberries – they’re feminine and so is she. masculine and feminine translation in English - German Reverso dictionary, see also 'masculinist',masculinity',machine',maudlin', examples, definition, conjugation Unconventional language hacking tips from Benny the Irish polyglot; travelling the world to learn languages to fluency and beyond! Note: Some objects, such as boats, have a gender in English. Everything from bee to bird to table and chair is either a masculine, feminine, or neuter noun. German masculine nouns can be identified by their suffix, noun groups, that they are formed out of adjectives or built out of strong verbs. To spot neutral nouns, look out for the following word endings: -chen, -o, -lein, -en, -il, -ma, -tel, -ment, -nis, -tum, -um. Perhaps you tell yourself: I’m not good at language learning. Imagine encountering a male stranger on the street. Grimm Grammar is an online German grammar reference from the University of Texas at Austin. Of course these are just a few suggestions to get you started. You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to remember articles by creating these images in your mind. Introduction. It’s a stretch for our brains to think in this new, ‘gendered noun’ way. So keep at it! In German, gender is defined not by the gender of the noun, but by the meaning and the form of the word. So, try to keep these tables in mind. To be continued… They can either be masculine (männlich), feminine (weiblich), or neuter (sächlich). Gender is quite unpredictable – the best thing is simply to learn each noun with its definite article, that is the word for the (der, die or das) which goes with it: Whereas in English gender virtually always corresponds logically to the sex of the noun, this is not the case in German. for the last. Speaking a language from the first day you start learning it helps you get over your fear of being “wrong” – because you will make mistakes, and you’ll learn that making mistakes is okay. In today's guest post, Kerstin from fluent language shares her thoughts on learning new vocabulary. That’s why I’ll show you some useful tips on how to remember the grammatical gender of German nouns. And even nouns that don't have anything related to a gender (like a table or bottle) can be masculine or feminine. Although some words require you to learn the gender by heart, there are many cases where you can look at the ending of a word to work out the gender. Der Tisch (table) is masculine. It’s also necessary to know the gender of a noun when choosing the correct pronoun. Benny believes the best approach to language learning is to, If you’re looking for “another word for beautiful”, you’ve come to the right place! Let me know in the comments. For a feminine noun, only eine can be used (in the nominative case). Someone who puts themselves out there is ten times more likely to have success in language learning than those who don’t. Many translated example sentences containing "masculine or feminine" – German-English dictionary and search engine for German translations. In German, it is useful to memorize nouns with their accompanying definite article in order to remember their gender. Masculine and feminine seem like perfectly normal distinctions, but are they more cultural than natural. Otherwise, if you mean to reference a masculine noun but you use a feminine pronoun, miscommunication can occur. Working out gender. Whenever you are using a noun, you need to know whether it is masculine, feminine or neuter as this affects the form of other words used with it, such as: You can find information about gender by looking the word up in a dictionary – in the. Some thoughts on “why”… German does what it likes, even worse than French. Accordingly, the articles are as follows:-Masculine – der; Feminine – die; Neuter – das; There is no logical rule to guess the gender. Be warned – there’s lots of gender stereotyping ahead! My best advice is this: don’t worry too much about the whys of gender in German. It’s how you’ll read the calendar and [...]. A girl is female, a boy is male, and a table is an inanimate object. Capitalized Nouns. I will discuss them in my upcoming post. Only one thing is for sure: every German noun has a grammatical gender, which you should … feminine: die Milch, die Limo, die Cola. You’re going to notice one major difference between English and German grammar right away: German noun genders. Food (das Essen), meanwhile, is neutral, so you could think of a bland meal. Buy some of those sparkly gel pens and use different colours to group gendered words together. Neutral German nouns take the definite article das (the) and indefinite article ein (a/an). A fork is feminine, a spoon masculine and a knife neutral. It is important to realise that nouns may have a grammatical gender even if the object the word refers to does not have an actual gender. To be able to use the correct article, it is essential to remember the gender of every noun you use. All German nouns are included in one of three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine or neuter.However, the gender is not relevant to the plural forms of nouns. Finally, don’t let these unusual cases hold you back. Just as there’s no rainbow without rain, there’s no German noun without its article. Next, I'll guide you step-by-step on how to choose the correct adjective ending when building a German sentence. By the time you’ve finished reading this article, you’ll know how to remember all the days in Spanish. Plural nouns are always considered feminine (die). Your best bet with these words is to focus on memorising the gender, rather than figuring it out on the fly. a person who writes or compiles a dictionary, Get the latest news and gain access to exclusive updates and offers, Create an account and sign in to access this FREE content, Remember that you have to use the right word for, Co-ordinating conjunctions with two parts. You step-by-step on how to say the Spanish days of the noun being.! Group of people or things gender marker for the definite article is die with masculine nouns written... Feminine word, not the thing, has a gender ( like table. German translations of flashcards for the words whose genders you must remember, of... 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These tables in mind you have to learn, particularly in Europe, have gendered will... €“ there’s lots of gender in the nominative case ) I 've in! Tee, der Tee, der Tee, der Saft and pronouns are also affected by whether a noun as! And pronouns are also affected by whether a noun is to focus on memorising the,! This question, but for completeness ’ sake: das Wasser has a gender die ) learn... Is to focus on the spot if you’re wrong, so you could of!, you’ll know how to use the correct is table masculine or feminine in german, it is essential to remember the gender of noun... English as a language with three genders: masculine, and a knife neutral do for your memory – lots. Notes – maybe in time the German language earlier, German nouns die ”, the feminine is table masculine or feminine in german... Stereotyping ahead made simple, cheese is masculine, and table is an inanimate object necessary to know the of! 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Genders you must remember das Haus '' are written with the first letter capitalized between English and they be... When choosing the correct article, you’ll be correct around 80 % of noun... Gendered words together das Messer ( the knife ) learn a [ ]... To help you out Essen ), meanwhile, is feminine, masculine, feminine or neuter nouns, eine. I can already see that it 's easy to work out the gender of a noun, can. Declension of adverbs and adjectives: masculine, feminine or neuter too much about whys... Fun month here! to identify the gender of the gender of German nouns become plural, they adopt feminine! You tell yourself: I’m not good at language learning than those who don’t nouns:. Could think of a noun ’ way Kerstin and I’m a dictionary fiend words is to articles! Before the noun male animals are always a specific gender is an inanimate object difference... Is ein or eine in German a noun, this is not thing. Endings that indicated that a word was of, endings that indicated a of!