Nouns - die Substantive

Nouns in German have a distinctive feature: they are always written with the first letter capitalized, regardless of
whether they are at the beginning of a sentence or not.
In German there are 3 genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. Therefore, there are different articles that
accompany the nouns of each of these genders. To identify the gender of a noun, the noun is usually written next to
the definite article in the nominative case:
 Masculine (abbreviated r) - der Mann - the man
 Feminine (abbreviated e) - die Frau - the woman
 Neuter (abbreviated s) - das Kind - the child
As in Spanish, nouns in German can also be in singular and plural. However, the formation of the plural is much more
complex than in Spanish. There are 5 main ways to form the plural of a noun. These rules are general and there are
several exceptions to each of them. There are also other particular rules applicable to small groups of nouns.
In addition to gender and number, in German, the case of the noun must be taken into account, since changes in
case lead to changes not only in the form of the noun but also in the words that accompany it (articles, adjectives,
etc.).
Let's look at the variations in gender, number and case with some examples:

Male Neutral Female Plural

the Kindergarte
Nominative the man the Kind
woman n

the Kindergarte
Accusative the man the Kind
woman n

Kindergarte
Dative the man[e]* the Kind* the wife
n
* The "e"s in brackets are optional, that is, the
of the Kindergarte forms des Mannes and des Manns are equally
Genitive of Kind[e]s * the wife
Mann[e]s * n correct. Generally, the style with "e" is higher.
Gender
As mentioned above, nouns in German can have 3 different genders: masculine, feminine and neuter.
There are a series of rules to know which nouns have one gender or another. However, these are not 100% reliable
rules, and some of them have many exceptions. The only infallible rule is to memorize the word along with its
gender.
One rule that does apply is that the gender of compound words always agrees with the gender of the last noun.
 die Ferien + das Haus = das Ferienhaus
 der Schuh + die Größe = die Schuhgröße
 die Wörter + das Buch = das Wörterbuch
Below are a series of tables indicating which nouns are masculine, feminine and neuter in German. Exceptions to
each rule are also shown, as well as words that may lead to confusion.

Masculine nouns

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Nouns that designate Examples Exceptions / Attention

 der Mann (the man), der Vater (the

 people of male gender father), der Junge (the young man), der  the boy / the girl
Sohn (the son), der Bruder (the brother)

 male animals  der Kater, der Hund, der Affe, der Löwe

 der Arzt (doctor), der Lehrer (teacher),

 jobs performed by men der Maler, der Praktikant (practitioner),
der Chef (the Boss), der Psychologe

 der Morgen (morning), der Mittag (noon),

 the night, the
 parts of the day der Nachmittag (afternoon), der Abend
morning gray
(evening-evening)

 der Tag (the day), der Montag (Monday),

der Dienstag (Tuesday), der Mittwoch
 days of the week (Wednesday), Donnerstag (Thursday),  ---
Freitag (Friday), Samstag (Saturday),
Sonntag (Sunday)

 der Monat, der Januar, der Februar, der

 months  ---
März...

 der Frühling (spring), der Sommer

 the spring year,
 seasons of the year (summer), der Herbst (autumn), der
the year
Winter (winter)

 der Norden, der Osten, der Süden, der

 cardinal points  ---
Westen

 der Regen, der Schnee (snow), der Hagel,

 atmospheric phenomena der Nebel (mist), der Wind, der Hurrikan,  the weather
der Sturm (storm), der Tau

 das Bier(beer), die

 der Wein, der Schnaps, der Whiskey, der
 alcoholic beverages Weinschorle, die
Rum, der Wodka, der Cognac
Bowle

 minerals, stones and  der Quarz, der Sand, der Stein, der Fels,
gemstones der Diamant, der Rubin

 der BMW, der Mercedes, der Golf, der

 Car and train brands
Wagen, der Zug, der ICE

 nounized verbal radicals  der Schlag, der Verstand, der Anfang, der
(most) Stoß, der Sprung, der Begriff

 der Amor, der Colorado, der

 the Elbe, the
 many (non-European) rivers Jangtsekiang, der Nil, der Mississippi, der
Weser
Rio de la Plata

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Nouns ending in Examples Exceptions

 -and  the doctorand

 -ant  der Demonstrant, der Spekulant  the Restaurant

 -ar  der Bibliothekar, der Antiquary

 der Dynast, der Gast, der

 -ast
Gymnasiast, der Phantast

 der Student, der Abiturient, der

 -ent
Dissident

 das Fenster, die Leiter, das

 -er  the helper, the helper
Zimmer, die Nummer

 -eur  the Decorator, the Hairdresser

 der Realismus, der Kommunismus,

 -ismus der Journalismus, der Optimismus,
der Surrealismus

 der Aktivist, der Materialist, der

 -ist
Realist, der Exorzist

 der Liebling, der Schmetterling, der

 -ling
Neuling, der Lehrling, der Zwilling

 der Psychologe, der Theologe, der

 -log
Astrologe, der Biologe, der Ökologe

 der Motor, der Tutor, der Doktor,

 -or
der Lektor

 -ator  the Dictator

 -he  der Himmel(sky), der Karamel  the Matriquel

 Most of the infinitives are

 -in  the floor, the kitchen substantivized: das Rennen,
das Essen, ...

 -er (most if they do not

designate male persons  the Koffer
or occupations)

 der Teppich(mat), der Stich, der

 -ich
Strich, der Rettich

 der Pfennig, der Honig, der

 -ig
König(king)

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Feminine nouns

Nouns that designate Examples Exceptions / Attention

 die Frau (the wife), die Mutter (the

mother), die Tante (the aunt), die  the girl, the child (the boy
 female gender persons
Tochter (the daughter), die / the girl)
Schwester (the sister)

 die Katze, die Kuh, die Hündin, die

 female gender animals
Ziege, die Löwin

 die Ärztin, die Lehrerin, die

 jobs performed by women (-
Malerin, die Praktikantin, die  the Harlequin
in)
Chefin, die Psychologin

 the numbers  eine Eins, eine Zwei, eine Drei...  ---

 der Ebro, der Neckar, der

 die Mosel, die Elbe, die Themse,
 many European rivers Po, der Main, der Rhein,
die Seine, die Donau
der Guadalquevir

 countries, regions and  from Turkey. die Schweiz, die

counties when they end in - Mongolei, die Slowakei, die
ei, -ie and -e Normandie, die Provence

 der Baum, der

 die Zypresse, die Kiefer, die Eiche,
 trees Apfelbaum, der
die Palme, die Tanne
Birnbaum, der Ahorn

 flowers  die Rose, die Tulpe, die Nelke  the edelweiss, the veil

 die Birne, die Apfelsine, die

 fruits  the apple, the pine tree
Erdbeere, die Traube, die Banane

 der Airbus, der Jet, der

 airplanes  Boeing 737, DC 10
Jumbo

 motorcycles  die BMW, die Honda, die Kawasaki

 boats  The Queen Mary

 die Havanna, die Stuywesant, die

 cigarettes and cigars
Zigarre, die Zigarette

Nouns ending in Examples Exceptions

 -e (most,
 die Lampe, die Ecke, die Grenze,  das Ende, das Auge, der Name, der
especially those
die Sonne, die Reise, die Klasse Friede, der Käse
with 2 syllables)

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 -t formed from a  die Fahrt, die Rast, die Schrift, die
verb Sicht, die Sucht

 * die Befugnis, die Erlaubnis, die  das Gefängnis, das Bedürfnis, das
Kenntnis, die Wildnis, die Erlebnis, das Verständnis, das
 -nis (some, the Finsternis, die Erkenntnis, die Zeugnis, das Vermächtnis, das
rest are neuter) Besorgnis, die Bitternis, die Begräbnis, das Ereignis, das Ergebnis,
Bedrängnis, die Ersparnis, die das Erzeugnis, das Gedächtnis, das
Fäulnis, die Beschwernis Geheimnis, das Versäumnis

 die Schublade, die Brigade, die

 –ade Marmelade, die Olympiade, die
Limonade, die Schokolade

 die Patronage, die Frage, die

 –age Garage, die Lage, die Reportage,
die Plantage

 die Träne, die Fontäne, die

 –äne
Quarantäne

 die Metzgerei, die Bäckerei, die

 -ei  Hey, the Pope
Konditorei

 die Messe, die Presse, die Adresse,

 -that's it die Baronesse, die Raffinesse, die  of Interest
Politesse

 die Toilette, die Tablette, die

Serviette, die Chansonette, die
 -ette
Marionette, die Kassette, die
Krokette, die Kette

 die Friseuse, die Souffleuse, die

 -euse
Balletteuse, die Reuse, die Schleuse

 die Freiheit, die Krankheit, die

 -Heit Mehrheit, die Anwesenheit, die
Blindheit, die Einheit

 -ie  Sympathy, Industry  the Genie

 die Politik, die Technik, die Musik,

 -ik
die Republik, die Logik, die Fabrik

 die Routine, die Guillotine, die

 -ine Brillantine, die Sardine, die Kabine,  the trench coat
die Turbine

 die Nation, die Direktion, die

 -ion Situation, die Station, die  the stadium
Adaptation

 -isse  die Diakonisse, die Hornisse, die

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 Kulisse

 die Arthritis, die Bronchitis, die

 -itis Gastritis, die Hepatitis, die
Meningitis, die Zellulitis

 die Offensive, die Initiative, die

 -ive Alternative, die Retrospektive, die
Perspektive

 die Möglichkeit, die Höflichkeit, die

 -keit Neuigkeit, die Freundlichkeit, die
Tätigkeit, die Würdigkeit

 die Allianz, die Distanz, die

 –nz Toleranz, die Frequenz, die  the prince
Kompetenz, die Provinz

 die Mannschaft, die Freundschaft,

 -schaft (all) die Botschaft, die Wissenschaft, die
Gesellschaft

 -sis  die Dose, die Basis, die Analysis

 die Sucht, die Sehnsucht, die

 -sucht Eifersucht, die Eigensucht, die
Selbstsucht

 die Universität, die Aktualität, die

 -that's it Priorität, die Brutalität, die
Superiorität, die Pubertät

 die Bibliothek, die Diskothek, die

 -thek
Hypothek, die Spielothek

 die Rechnung, die Übersetzung, die

 -ung Erkältung, die Unterstützung, die
Erfindung, die Meinung

 die Kultur, die Natur, die Glasur, die

 -ur  the Abitur, the Futur
Spur, die Figur

 die Broschüre, die Konfitüre, die

 -üre/-ure
Säure, die Bordüre

Neuter nouns

Nouns that designate Examples Exceptions / Attention

 young people  the baby, the kind

 young animals  das Kalb, das Hündchen, das

Kätzchen, das Pferdchen, das

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 Hühnchen

 das Blau, das Rot, das Schwarz,

 the colors  the colors
das Grün, das Gelb, das Rosa

 der Schwefel, der

 das Aluminum, das Eisen, das Kohlenstoff, der Sauerstoff,
 chemical elements and
Blei, das Gold, das Silber, das der Stickstoff, der
metals
Kupfer, das Uran, das Zink, ... Wasserstoff, der Stahl, die
Bronze

 das Gramm, das Kilo, das  the Tonne, the Zentner;

 physical units Moment (physical sense), das the Meter and the Liter are
Volt, das Watt also correct

 you give A, you give B, you give

 the letters  ---
C...

 musical notes  the high C  ---

 das Substantiv, das Adverb, das

 word classes Verb, das Pronomen, das  the proposal, the article
Adjektiv

 das Geschirr, das Gepäck, das

 der Gedanke, der
Gebirge, das Geflügel, das
Gebrauch, der Geruch, der
Gebäude, das Gebiet, das
Gesang, der Geschmack,
 nouns that begin with ge- Geschenk, das Geschäft, das
die Geschichte, die Gefahr,
Gespräch, das Gebäck, das
die Geduld, die Gewalt, die
Gefieder, das Gefühl, das
Gestalt, die Gebärde
Gemälde, das Getränk

 die Schweiz; country

 continents, countries, islands
 das Berlin, unser liebes names ending in -ei are
and cities (used without an
Deutschland, das alte Europa, feminine; Iraq, Iran,
article unless accompanied
das sonnige Mallorca Lebanon, Sudan and Chad
by an adjective)
are masculine

 das Gute, das Essen, das Warum,

 adjectives, infinitives,
das Leben, das Einkaufen, das
pronouns, etc. substantivized
Schreiben

Nouns ending in Examples Exceptions

 das Exemplar, das Vokabular, das

 der Dollar, der Autocar, der Star,
 –ar (some) Invent, das Mobiliar, das Formular, das
der Bar, der Nachbar, der Quasar
Seminar, das Paar, das Haar

 -chen  das Mädchen, das Kaninchen, das

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 Brötchen, das Gärtchen, das Gläschen

 -em  das Extrem, das System, das Problem

 -in (substance
 Insulin, Aniline
names)

 -ing (foreign
 das Marketing, das Camping, das
nouns taken
Recycling
from English)

 das Tischlein, das Fräulein, das

 -lein
Dächlein, das Tüchlein, das Büchlein

 das Klima, das Charisma, das Trauma,

 –ma  the Signature
das Dilemma, das Komma, das Thema

 das Instrument, das Dokument, das

 the consumption; the moment is
 -ment Element, das Monument, das
also correct
Parlament, das Moment

 das Gefängnis, das Bedürfnis, das  die Befugnis, die Erlaubnis, die
Erlebnis, das Verständnis, das Zeugnis, Kenntnis, die Wildnis, die
 -nis (some, the
das Vermächtnis, das Begräbnis, das Finsternis, die Erkenntnis, die
rest are
Ereignis, das Ergebnis, das Erzeugnis, Besorgnis, die Bitternis, die
feminine)
das Gedächtnis, das Geheimnis, das Bedrängnis, die Ersparnis, die
Versäumnis Fäulnis, die Beschwernis

 das Auto, das Photo, das Duo, das

 -either  die Disco, der Kakao, die Ratio
Konto, das Piano

 das Eigentum, das Heldentum, das

 -tum Altertum, das Christentum, das  the Reichtum, the Irrtum
Judentum, das Eigentum

 das Zentrum, das Studium, das

 der Schaum, der Baum, der Raum,
 -um Ministerium, das Museum, das Datum,
der Traum
das Neutrum

Plural
In German there is no general and infallible rule for forming the nominative plural of a noun.
It could be said that there are 5 different endings to form the plural of a noun (--, -e, -er, -n/-en, -s). There is no clear
rule about which groups of words form the plural according to each of the different cases. As a guide, rules such as
"most of..." can be given, but there are always exceptions.
To this we must add that many times the formation of the plural implies a change of the vowel of the root of the
noun when it is a, o, u. These vowels are often transformed into ä, ö, ü. But that change does not always occur.
In addition to these 5 rules, there are also other particular cases of plural formation, for example, the ending -nen,
the change -um / -en, the change -a / -en, etc.

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Therefore, the only 100% reliable solution is to memorize the plural form for each noun.
Plural endings
 Without plural ending. Sometimes the root vowel changes to the form with umlaut ("sound alteration").
This group includes nouns ending in -er, -en, -el, -chen, -lein.
No change in the root vowel
the driver - the driver
the teacher - the teacher
the room - the room
the Essen - the Essen
the Koffer - the Koffer
the Braten - the Braten
the student - the student
the Stecker - the Stecker
the window - the window
the Spiegel - the Spiegel
the girls - the girls
With change in the root vowel
the apple - the apple |
the tablecloth - the tablecloth
the garden - the gardens
the Vater - the Vater
the mother - the mother
 Ending -e. Sometimes the root vowel changes to the form with umlaut. This group includes many masculine
nouns, monosyllabic feminine nouns and neuter nouns.
No change in the root vowel
the day - the day
the dog - the dog
the table - the table
the film - the film
the Problem - the Problem
With change in the root vowel
the mouse - the mouse
the square - the square
the Zug - the Zug
the city - the cities
the Hand - the Hands
the chair - the chair
the Arzt - the Arzte
the seat - the seat
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the son - the sons
 Ending -er. The root vowel, if it is a, o, u or au, changes to the form with umlaut. This group includes
monosyllabic neuter nouns and some masculine nouns.
No change in the root vowel
the Kind - the Kinder
the image - the image
the Schild - the Schilder
With change in the root vowel
the man - the men
the house - the house
the glass - the glass
the book - the book
the Fach - the Fächer
 Ending -n, -en. The root vowel does not change. This group includes many feminine nouns and nouns of the
n-Deklination.
-n ending
the lamp - the lamps
die Geschichte - die Geschichten
the mieten - the mieten
the batteries - the batteries
the Tante - the Tantes
the Million - the Millions
Ending -en
the watch - the watches
the woman - the women
der Student - die Studenten (n-Deklination)
der Interessent - die Interessenten (n-Deklination)
 Ending -s. The root vowel does not change. This group includes nouns ending in -a, -i, -o and many words of
foreign origin.
the crime - the crimes
the Coffee - the Cafes
the casino - the casinos
the sofa - the sofas
the car - the cars
the Photo - the Photos
the radio - the radios
 Special cases
Ending -nen. This group includes feminine nouns ending in -in.
die Studentin - die Studentinnen

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die Lehrerin - die Lehrerinnen
die Schülerin - die Schülerinnen
Change -um / -en. Nouns ending in -um form the plural by changing that ending to -en.
the gymnasium - the gymnasium
the museum - the museums
das Ministerium - die Ministerien
Change -a / -en. Some nouns ending in -a form the plural by changing that ending to -en.
the theme - the themes
the Firm - the Firms
Cases
In German there are 4 cases: nominative, accusative, dative and genitive.
Many times the case of the noun and the words that accompany it depends on the function of the noun in the
sentence. For example, if it is the subject of the sentence, the noun will be in the nominative. On other occasions the
case is imposed by the preposition or a certain expression. For example, the preposition mit is always followed by
the dative.
Let's look in detail at the situations in which a noun uses one case or another.
Nominative
Nouns and pronouns are used in the nominative when:
 are the subject of a verb.
 are the object of sein or werden, or any other copulative verb.
For example/for example
He is intelligent. You are a student.
Accusative
Nouns and pronouns are used in the accusative when:
 They are the direct object of a verb.
 are the object of an accusative preposition.
 are the object of an accusative/dative preposition.
 They are used in expressions of definite time.
 They are used in certain special expressions.
Genitive
Nouns are used in the genitive when:
 They indicate possession or a relationship like that expressed with "de" in Spanish.
 are the object of a genitive preposition.
 They are the object of a verb that requires a genitive.
 They are used in expressions of indefinite time.
 They are used in certain special expressions.
Dative
Nouns and pronouns are used in the dative when:
 They are the indirect object of a verb.

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  are the object of a dative preposition.
 are the object of an accusative/dative preposition.
 They are the object of a verb that requires a dative.
 They are used in certain special expressions.
answer the question "WEM?" (to whom?, for whom?)

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