|
Always MASCULINE (der/ein):
- Days,
months, and seasons: Montag, Juli, Sommer (Monday, July,
summer). The one exception is das Frühjahr, another word
for der Frühling, spring.
- Points of
the compass, map locations and winds: Nordwest(en)
(northwest), Süd(en) (south), der Föhn (warm
wind
out of the Alps), der Scirocco (sirocco, a hot desert wind).
- Precipitation: Regen,
Schnee, Nebel (rain, snow, fog/mist)
- Names of
cars and trains: der VW, der ICE, der Mercedes. (But
motorbikes
are feminine.)
- Words
ending in -ismus: Journalismus,
Kommunismus, Synchronismus
(equal -ism words in English)
- Words
ending in -ner: Rentner,
Schaffner, Zentner, Zöllner
(pensioner, [train] conductor, hundred-weight, customs collector). The
feminine form adds -in (die Rentnerin).
- The basic
"atmospheric" elements that end in -stoff:
der Sauerstoff
(oxygen), der Stickstoff (nitrogen), der Wasserstoff
(hydrogen), plus carbon (der Kohlenstoff). The only other
element (out of 112) that is masculine is der Schwefel
(sulphur). Note: All of the other chemical
elements are neuter (das Aluminium, Blei, Kupfer, Uran, Zink,
usw.).
|
Usually MASCULINE (der/ein):
- Agents
(people who do something), most occupations and nationalities: der
Architekt, der Arzt, der Deutsche, der Fahrer, der Verkäufer, der
Student, der Täter (architect, physician, German [person],
driver, salesman, student, perpetrator). Note that the feminine
form of these terms almost always ends in -in (die
Architektin, die Ärztin, die Fahrerin, die Verkäuferin, die
Studentin, Täterin, but die Deutsche).
- Nouns
ending in -er, when referring to people (but die
Jungfer,
die Mutter, die Schwester, die Tochter; das Fenster,
window, is not a person.)
- Names of alcoholic drinks: der Wein,
der Wodka (but das Bier)
- Names of mountains and lakes: der
Berg, der See (but Germany's highest
peak, die Zugspitze follows the rule for the feminine ending -e,
and die See is the sea).
- Most
rivers outside of Europe: der Amazonas, der Kongo, der
Mississippi
(See World
Rivers in German)
- Most nouns
ending in -ich, -ling, -ist: Rettich, Sittich,
Schädling, Frühling, Pazifist (radish, parakeet,
pest/parasite, spring, pacifist)
|
|
|
Always FEMININE
(die/eine):
- Nouns
ending in the following suffixes: -heit,
-keit, -tät, -ung,
-schaft - Examples: Freiheit,
Schnelligkeit, Universität,
Zeitung, Freundschaft (freedom, quickness, university, newspaper,
friendship). Note that these suffixes usually have a
corresponding English suffix, such as -ness (-heit, -keit), -ty (-tät),
-ship (-schaft).
- Nouns
ending in -ie: Drogerie,
Geographie, Komödie,
Industrie, Ironie (often equal to words ending in -y in English)
- Names of planes, ships and
motorbikes: die Boeing 747, die Titanic, die BMW
(motorbike only; the car is der BMW). The die comes
from die Maschine, which can mean plane, motorbike and engine.
- Helpful reminder: Ships are often referred to as "she" in English.
- Nouns
ending in -ik: Grammatik,
Graphik, Klinik, Musik, Panik,
Physik (a rare exception is das Pik, spade [cards])
- Borrowed
(foreign) nouns ending in: -ade,
-age, -anz, -enz, -ette, -ine,
-ion, -tur: Parade, Blamage (shame), Bilanz,
Distanz,
Frequenz, Serviette (napkin), Limonade, Nation, Konjunktur
(economic trend). Note: Such words often resemble their English
equivalent. A rare -ade exception: der Nomade.
- Cardinal
numbers: eine Eins, eine Drei (a one, a three)
|
Usually FEMININE
(die/eine):
- Nouns
ending in -in
that pertain to female people, occupations,
nationalities: Amerikanerin, Studentin (female American,
student), but der Harlekin and also many non-people words: das
Benzin, der Urin (gasoline/petrol, urine).
- Most nouns
ending in -e: Ecke,
Ente, Grenze, Pistole, Seuche
(corner, duck, border, pistol, epidemic), but der Deutsche, das
Ensemble, der Friede, der Junge ([the] German, ensemble, peace, boy)
- Nouns
ending in -ei: Partei,
Schweinerei (party [political],
dirty trick/mess), but das Ei, der Papagei (egg, parrot).
- Most types
of flowers and trees: Birke, Chrysantheme, Eiche, Rose
(birch,
chrysanthemum, oak, rose), but der Ahorn, (maple), das
Gänseblümchen (daisy), and the word for tree is der
Baum
- Borrowed
(foreign) nouns ending in -isse, -itis, -ive: Hornisse,
Initiative (hornet, initiative)
|
|
|
Always NEUTER (das/ein):
- Nouns
ending in -chen or -lein: Fräulein,
Häuschen, Kaninchen, Mädchen (unmarried woman, cottage,
rabbit, girl/maiden)
- Nouns
ending in -o (often
from Latin): Auto, Büro, Kasino,
Konto (account), Radio, Veto, Video - Note: Two
rare exceptions: der Euro, der Scirocco (sirocco, a hot desert
wind).
- Infinitives
used as nouns (gerunds): das Essen, das Schreiben
(eating/food,
writing)
- Almost all
of the 112 known chemical
elements (das Aluminium, Blei, Kupfer, Uran, Zink, Zinn,
Zirkonium, usw.) - except for five that are masculine: der
Kohlenstoff (carbon), der Sauerstoff (oxygen), der
Stickstoff (nitrogen), der Wasserstoff (hydrogen), and der
Schwefel (sulphur). Note: Most
of the elements end in -ium,
a das ending.
- Names of hotels, cafés and
theaters
- Names of
colors: das Blau, das Rot (blue, red)
|
Usually NEUTER (das/ein):
- Names of
towns and countries: Deutschland, Chicago, Brasilien
(but learn
non-das countries, such as: der Irak, der Jemen, die
Schweiz, die Türkei, die USA [plur.]) - See: Land und Leute,
a German-English chart of countries, nationalities and languages.
- Most
metals: Aluminium, Blei, Kupfer, Messing, Zinn
(aluminium,
lead, copper, brass, tin/pewter; but die Bronze, der Stahl -
bronze, steel)
- Fractions: ein Viertel, ein
Drittel (but die Hälfte,
half)
- Most nouns
starting with Ge-:
Genick, Gerät, Geschirr,
Geschlecht, Gesetz, Gespräch (back of the neck, device,
dishes, sex/gender, law, conversation), but there are many exceptions,
such as der
Gebrauch, der Gedanke, die Gefahr, der Gefallen, der Genuss, der
Geschmack, der Gewinn, die Gebühr, die Geburt, die Geduld, die
Gemeinde, die Geschichte, and others)
- Most
borrowed (foreign) nouns ending in -ment: Ressentiment,
Supplement (but der Zement, der/das Moment [2 diff.
meanings])
- Most nouns
ending in -nis: Versäumnis
(neglect; but die
Erlaubnis, die Erkenntnis, die Finsternis)
- Most nouns
ending in -tum or -um: Christentum, Königtum
(Christianity, kingship; but der Irrtum, der Reichtum - error,
wealth)
|
|
