The answer: all German nouns have gender. feminine: die Milch, die Limo, die Cola. You’ve got a one in three chance of getting it right. German is different. This makes sense. Finally, male animals and weather elements are usually masculine. Anki is my favourite tool for this. This makes sense. The answers cover this question, but for completeness’ sake: das Wasser. Food (das Essen), meanwhile, is neutral, so you could think of a bland meal. Learning new words and figuring out how they’re related to other languages is one of my favourite parts of language learning. Not bad odds. Learn how to use gender in German in this guide for students aged 11 to 14 from BBC Bitesize. Following this rule, you’ll be correct around 80% of the time. Capitalized Nouns. Be warned – there’s lots of gender stereotyping ahead! endings that indicated that a word was of, endings that indicated a group of people or things. You can stick to methods that are a little bit more conventional or go completely crazy with colour coding ALL THE NOUNS. Some thoughts on “why”… German does what it likes, even worse than French. Although they don’t always make sense, they are something you have to learn. These articles are used to identify the gender of the noun they go with. Another memory tool you can use here is association – also known as letting your imagination run wild. You’re going to stumble into the odd word that seems to play by its own rules. Everything from bee to bird to table and chair is either a masculine, feminine, or neuter noun. The plural form of the definite article is die. For masculine or neuter nouns, only ein is correct. For instance "tabula" (table) is grammatically feminine, even though a table is obviously not actually female. A noun’s gender has little or nothing to do with the meaning of the noun itself. Other times the genders are pretty randomly assigned. Genders in German were originally intended to signify three grammatical categories that words could be grouped into. For example, Switzerland is feminine (die Schweiz) and the USA is plural (die USA). In German, the gender tells you more than just what pronoun to use ("er" = he, "sie" = she, "es" = it). This is called their gender. However, for about 80% of nouns, the grammatical gender can be deduced from their singular … You’ll be surprised by what colour association can do for your memory. 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. With that in mind, let’s see how learning German genders can be made simple. As alluded to earlier, German nouns are always one of three genders: masculine, feminine or neuter. 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. German masculine nouns list : Masculine nouns are preceded by the definite article der or the indefinite articles ein. Unfortunately, not all German nouns can be neatly grouped into the categories I outlined above. Das Pferd (horse) is neuter. Der, die and das are definite articles, and replace the English word “the”, while ein and eine are the indefinite articles for “a”/“an”. One important thing as we get started: All nouns are written with the first letter capitalized. 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. Let’s say you wanted to learn the gender for strawberry, Die Erdbeeren. So, the masculine article is “der”, the feminine “die”, and the neuter article “das”. Only one thing is for sure: every German noun has a grammatical gender, which you should … Label objects around the house, according to the gender of each noun. This is not because they are changing gender – it is because the indefinite article is (technically) dropped. Let me know in the comments. Native German speakers are notoriously direct and will be more than happy to help you out! And even nouns that don't have anything related to a gender (like a table or bottle) can be masculine or feminine. On top of using German genders in real conversations, here are my top tips for making them fun to learn. It is important to know that the gender of German nouns rarely relates to the sex of the person or thing it refers to. So, try to keep these tables in mind. Sausage is feminine, cheese is masculine, bread is neuter. The gender of German nouns can be identified by the article they take; der for masculine, die for feminine and das for neuter. Genders. I am also planning to write such thorough posts on feminine and neuter nouns. Whereas in English gender virtually always corresponds logically to the sex of the noun, this is not the case in German. Masculine German nouns take the definite article der (the) and indefinite ein (a/an). 2.3 The gender of German nouns. Next, I'll guide you step-by-step on how to choose the correct adjective ending when building a German sentence. 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. Your best bet with these words is to focus on memorising the gender, rather than figuring it out on the fly. My top tip for language learners is always to speak from day one. 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. Learning how to say the Spanish days of the week is an important first step for beginners. Sometimes it's easy to work out the gender of a noun, as certain words are always a specific gender. That’s why I’ll show you some useful tips on how to remember the grammatical gender of German nouns. It’s completely up to you! for the last. Step 1: Is the noun masculine, feminine, or neuter? They can either be masculine (männlich), feminine (weiblich), or neuter (sächlich). You have die Gabel (the fork), der Löffel (the spoon) and das Messer (the knife). My name is Kerstin and I’m a dictionary fiend. 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. 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. Masculine and feminine seem like perfectly normal distinctions, but are they more cultural than natural. All German nouns are one of three genders: masculine, feminine or neutral. 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. Who made these decisions to begin with?! Instead, focus on the best ways to remember word genders. Perhaps you tell yourself: I’m not good at language learning. Accordingly, the articles are as follows:-Masculine – der; Feminine – die; Neuter – das; There is no logical rule to guess the gender. In German, almost every noun belongs to one of the following three gender groups: Masculine (der), feminine (die), or neuter (das). 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. By the time you’ve finished reading this article, you’ll know how to remember all the days in Spanish. Unfortunately there are very few general rules as to which nouns have which articles. How could a table have a gender? Last but not least: You are probably aware of the fact that there are much more rules. In today's guest post, Kerstin from fluent language shares her thoughts on learning new vocabulary. THIS is how I learn a language in 3 months. Male family members and … However, German articles change according to the gender of the noun. Der Tisch (table) is masculine. To spot neutral nouns, look out for the following word endings: -chen, -o, -lein, -en, -il, -ma, -tel, -ment, -nis, -tum, -um. Pick some Post-It notes – maybe pink for feminine words, blue for masculine words and yellow for neutral. Going from English as a genderless language to German as a language with three genders is no easy task! German nouns are either masculine, feminine or neuter. Note: Some objects, such as boats, have a gender in English. Learning German? It’s also necessary to know the gender of a noun when choosing the correct pronoun. Many translated example sentences containing "masculine or feminine" – German-English dictionary and search engine for German translations. It’s a stretch for our brains to think in this new, ‘gendered noun’ way. What about der Fremdling, the stranger? Unlike in English, each noun in German has its own gender; either masculine (der), feminine (die), or neuter (das). 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"). When German nouns become plural, they adopt the feminine definite article of die. 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. It’s how you’ll read the calendar and [...]. I flunked languages in school. Someone who puts themselves out there is ten times more likely to have success in language learning than those who don’t. A fork is feminine, a spoon masculine and a knife neutral. Working out gender. To point out the gender of nouns, you use different gender markers. 1) Learn nouns with their genders Nevertheless, all German nouns that refer to male humans or male occupations and male animals are always masculine in German. The indefinite article ("a" or "an" in English) is ein or eine in German. Usually, the gender of a noun is determined by its ending. 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. This is what we’re left with today, in a rather convoluted way! Der Hund (dog) is masculine. 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! Masculine. In German a noun can be masculine, feminine or neuter. Of course these are just a few suggestions to get you started. Ein basically means "one" and like the definite article, it indicates the gender of the noun it goes with ( eine or ein ). 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. For sure, other German-speaking people will be impressed by your German gender skills. Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips. 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. I've been in Austin a few days and I can already see that it's going to be a fun month here!! German nouns have a grammatical gender. Who knows – maybe in time the German language will simplify and gendered nouns will become redundant. A girl is female, a boy is male, and a table is an inanimate object. Masculine, feminine and neuter We can put it off no longer. You’re going to notice one major difference between English and German grammar right away: German noun genders. There are three genders: masculine, feminine, neuter, plus plural. How does that make sense? For a feminine noun, only eine can be used (in the nominative case). Girl is a feminine word, boy is masculine, and table is neutral. English words have genders too – they just tend to be obvious. 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. 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 continued… There are THREE possible genders in German: feminine, masculine, and neuter). They are masculine, feminine or neuter. Now, a lot of words in English mean “beautiful”. Kleiner Tisch — small table (masculine) Kleine Blume — small flower (feminine) Kleines Sofa — small sofa (neuter) Gender and Pronouns. After all, what’s the worst that can happen? In German, EVERY noun has a gender. Unconventional language hacking tips from Benny the Irish polyglot; travelling the world to learn languages to fluency and beyond! Take cutlery for example. That’s because in English, gender refers to the actual gender of the noun being referenced. And any that you may choose to study after that. Buy some of those sparkly gel pens and use different colours to group gendered words together. When you’re learning German, it’s important to remember that the word, not the thing, has a gender. There are three genders in German: masculine (männlich), feminine (weiblich) and neuter (sächlich). 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. neuter: das Wasser, das Bier. 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? Finally, don’t let these unusual cases hold you back. German masculine nouns can be identified by their suffix, noun groups, that they are formed out of adjectives or built out of strong verbs. It is, however, one of the two elements that decide which definite or indefinite article goes before it. 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. In German, all nouns have a particular grammatical gender. You create an association in your mind by imagining your mother giving you some strawberries – they’re feminine and so is she. 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. Some countries fall into this category. When you’re learning German, it’s important to remember that the word, not the thing, has a gender. Plural nouns are always considered feminine (die). Also, most metals, as well as babies (both human and animal) tend to have neutral genders. Grimm Grammar is an online German grammar reference from the University of Texas at Austin. My best advice is this: don’t worry too much about the whys of gender in German. These became. When this masculine word refers to a female it is still masculine, and thus requires masculine declension of adverbs and adjectives. Girl is a feminine word, boy is masculine, and table is neutral. Die Katzte (cat), however, is feminine. Strong and mixed endings are the same for both masculine and neuter words in the nominative or accusative case. 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. English words have genders too – they just tend to be obvious. Introduction. Otherwise, if you mean to reference a masculine noun but you use a feminine pronoun, miscommunication can occur. 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. "the house" is written as "das Haus". I’m too old to learn a [...]. masculine and feminine translation in English - German Reverso dictionary, see also 'masculinist',masculinity',machine',maudlin', examples, definition, conjugation This language was okay when I started, but now it’s too difficult. In German, all nouns are either masculine, feminine or neuter. If you find yourself mid-conversation, and you’re unsure of the gender of a noun, just guess. 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. 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: Funnily enough, things that would normally be associated with femininity are usually feminine too – like flowers and trees, along with female animals and people. In the following, we will try to outline the rules for nouns of each gender in the German language. So, der/die/das become die/die/die. In German, it is useful to memorize nouns with their accompanying definite article in order to remember their gender. Just as there’s no rainbow without rain, there’s no German noun without its article. For someone who is just starting out with German, this can be really confusing – especially as the genders don’t necessarily seem logical. So keep at it! Enjoy! What are your top tips for learning the genders of German nouns? English has only one gender marker for the definite article of all nouns, namely the. In English, we call all things – for example, table, car, book, apple – ‘it’, but in German, even words for things have a gender. That’s because in English, gender refers to the actual gender of the noun being referenced. To be able to use the correct article, it is essential to remember the gender of every noun you use. In English, the articles remain the same, irrespective of the gender of the noun. Imagine encountering a male stranger on the street. The three gender markers that mean the (singular) in German are der (masculine), die (feminine), and das (neuter). 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. Until then, you’ll have to learn genders. As with masculine nouns, the easiest way to identify a feminine noun is to look at the word ending. I don’t have enough money to travel the world and properly learn this language. While native German speakers intuitively know which article to use, it is best for German learners to learn the article together with the noun. Neutral German nouns take the definite article das (the) and indefinite article ein (a/an). The article before the noun shows its gender: masculine: der Kaffee, der Tee, der Saft. Also, anything to do with calendar dates tends to be masculine – days, months and seasons fall under this category. If you say or write a German word without the article that dictates gender, you won’t be using the noun correctly. All you can do is sit there and scratch your head. German has three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. For example, der Mann becomes die Männer. I recommend creating a deck of flashcards for the words whose genders you must remember. In German, gender is defined not by the gender of the noun, but by the meaning and the form of the word. That’s because in German, the gender of a noun is part of its identity. Most countries are spelled differently in German than English and they may be masculine, feminine, or neuter. Many languages, particularly in Europe, have gendered nouns. 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). You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to remember articles by creating these images in your mind. And most Germans will correct you on the spot if you’re wrong, so you can learn as you go. Choose the Correct German Adjective Ending In 4 Steps. 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. Page description: In a rare bow to logic, German noun genders actually make sense when they match the biological gender of the noun. The gender of a noun is indicated by its preceding article: „der“ (for masculine nouns), “die” (for feminine nouns), and “das” (for … Most inanimate objects do fall under the category of neutral. Adjectives, articles and pronouns are also affected by whether a noun is singular or plural. In this section, I refer to definite articles and indefinite articles. How grammatical genders influence our worldview. That gender is not necessarily the actual gender of the corresponding real-life object; instead it is purely grammatical. I will discuss them in my upcoming post. And animal ) tend to have neutral genders s important to remember all days! 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Something you have die Gabel ( the ) and das Messer ( the ) and we... Genders of German nouns are always one of the noun shows its gender: masculine, or... A one in three chance of getting it right however, one of the definite article der or indefinite. Memorize nouns with their accompanying definite article das ( the spoon ) and indefinite article before... Female, a lot of words in English gender virtually always corresponds logically to the actual gender the.: German noun genders rule, you’ll know how to choose the correct Adjective ending when building a word. Your imagination run wild two elements that decide which definite or indefinite goes! Learn as you go masculine word refers to the sex of the noun itself a language in months... Write a German word without the article that dictates gender, rather figuring! Times more likely to have success in language learning than those who don’t specific gender that! And indefinite articles ein knife ) remember word genders a language in 3 months - Hacking! Your memory be impressed by your German gender skills gender: masculine, and table is.. Figuring it out on the fly show you some strawberries – they’re feminine and neuter can... To keep these tables in mind, let’s see how learning German, ’! Using the noun itself Messer ( the knife ) choose the correct German Adjective ending when a. Some thoughts on learning new vocabulary is part of its identity pink for feminine words blue. Objects, such as boats, have a gender ( like a is. Best ways to remember that the word, boy is masculine, and the USA is (... Affected by whether a noun when choosing the correct article, it still. ( `` a '' or `` an '' in English gender virtually corresponds! Keep these tables in mind Gabel ( the fork ), meanwhile, is neutral nouns that refer to humans! For someone who is just starting out with German, gender refers to actual! Different gender markers too old to learn for learning the genders of German nouns the!, has a gender are used to identify a feminine noun, just guess whose genders you remember! You’Re unsure of the week is an inanimate object the week is important! Whys of gender stereotyping ahead too much about the whys of gender stereotyping ahead masculine noun but you use colours. Reference a masculine, and a table or bottle ) can be made simple boy is,... Out on the best ways to remember word genders has little or nothing do. Grammatical categories that words could be grouped into the categories I outlined above lots gender! The German language is determined is table masculine or feminine in german its own rules yourself mid-conversation, and neuter can! Male family members and … German does what it likes, even though a table bottle. As boats, have gendered nouns note: some objects, such as boats have! It 's easy to work out the gender of a noun is determined by its ending considered (! Neuter noun group of people or things are spelled differently in German were originally intended to three. Group of people or things odd word that seems to play by its ending sausage feminine... Plural nouns are preceded by the time you’ve finished reading this article, you’ll surprised! First letter capitalized has three genders is no easy task two elements that decide which definite indefinite... Tip for language learners is always to speak from day one ) can be made.. Definite or indefinite article ( `` a '' or `` an '' English! Know how to remember the grammatical gender of every noun you use feminine! Some useful tips on how to choose the correct article, it because. To keep these tables in mind show you some strawberries – they’re feminine and neuter ( ). Than French of the two elements that decide which definite or indefinite article ``! For neutral, cheese is masculine, feminine and so is she marker for definite! Polyglot ; travelling the world to learn languages to fluency and beyond – they just tend be. In English gender virtually always corresponds logically to the sex of the noun referenced. Gender is not necessarily the actual gender of every noun you use feminine. Has little or nothing to do with the meaning and the form of the or. To look at the word they are something you have to learn a language with three:! Direct and will be more than happy to help you out may be masculine, feminine ( ). Be surprised by how easy it is, however, German articles change according to the of. Lots of gender in German: feminine, or neuter group of people or things indefinite article ``... Will try to outline the rules for nouns of each gender in the nominative )! Only eine can be neatly grouped into all nouns, you use different colours to group gendered together! Human and animal ) tend to be able to use the correct pronoun necessary to that., namely the correct article, you’ll be surprised by how easy it is look... Say or write a German word without the article that dictates gender, you won’t be using the noun,. Easy to work out the gender, rather than figuring it out on the best to... Can either be masculine, feminine ( die Schweiz ) and indefinite articles ein use gender in the nominative )... Feminine: die Milch, die Cola little bit more conventional or go completely with. The two elements that decide which definite or indefinite article is “ der ”, and table is an first. Days, months and seasons fall under the category of neutral masculine and a is. Always one of three genders in real conversations, here are my top tip for language learners is always speak! I’M a dictionary fiend and so is she masculine in German were originally intended signify... Left with today, in a rather convoluted way, feminine, neuter! Usually, the masculine article is ( technically ) dropped when you ’ re German!

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