Gender of Nouns (Genus) – A1 Grammar
In German, every noun has a gender (Genus): masculine, feminine, or neuter. For example:
- der Kaffee — masculine (m)
- die Bluse — feminine (f)
- das Bier — neuter (n)
In most cases, there is no fixed rule for predicting a noun’s gender. That’s why it’s important to memorize the article along with each noun. However, there are some common patterns that can help you recognize the gender of some nouns:
Some common patterns:
| Gender | Typical Endings | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine (der) | -er, -en, -el, -or days of the week, months, seasons |
der Lehrer, der Doktor, der Montag, der April, der Winter |
| Neuter (das) | -chen, -ment, -um infinitives used as nouns |
das Mädchen, das Dokument, das Museum, das Lesen |
| Feminine (die) | -e, -ei, -heit, -ion, -ung | die Lampe, die Polizei, die Freiheit, die Lektion, die Übung |
Note: Many German nouns do not follow these patterns, so it is essential to memorize the article with the noun for correct writing and speaking.