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