How to remember the gender of nouns in German. How to correctly determine the gender of a noun in German: basic rules. Determining the gender of German nouns online

The definition of the gender of nouns in German is not much different from the Russian language, since it also has three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. The article is used for correct designation. Animate nouns are determined by gender, while inanimate nouns require memorization or identification of special features.

How to determine the gender of a noun in German?

To determine the gender of nouns in German, special rules are used.

masculine The table below will help you determine German nouns online. It should be remembered that the article der is used, and the masculine gender is denoted by the letter m.

Noun groups	Example
Natural Differences	der Lehrer (teacher), der Kaufman (salesman), der Vater (father), der Sohn (son), der Onkel (uncle)
Animals	der Esel (donkey), der Hahn (rooster), der Kater (cat)
Seasons Days of the week	der Mittwoch (Wednesday), der Winter (winter), der Februar (February)
Alcohol	der Kognak (cognac), der Wein (wine), der Wodka (vodka)
Car brands	der Mercedes, der BMW, der Opel
Minerals and rocks	der Diamant (diamond), der Granit (granite)
Cardinal points, climate	der West (west), der Monsun (monsoon), der Regen (rain), der Reif (frost)
Mountain peaks	der Elbrus, der Mt. Everest *** In the case when the name is a compound word, the gender is determined by the main word. Example, die Zug spitze, da Matter horn
Nouns that do not have a suffix and were formed from a verb	der Gang (walk), der Sprung (jump)
Nouns with endings:	der Fuchs (fox), der Essig (vinegar), der Schmetterling (butterfly)
Words of foreign origin with the ending: Ant, -ar, -ent, -et, -ist, -loge, -or, -us	der Doktorant (doctoral student), der Millionär, der Absolvent (graduate), der Prophet (prophet), der Ingenieur, der Pianist, der Biologe, der Lektor, der Zyklus ***There are exceptions - das Genus, das Tempus

Define feminine(the article die and the use of the letter f) of a noun in German online, the following table will help.

Noun groups	Example
Natural Differences	Mutter (mother), die Tochter (daughter), die Lehrerin (teacher), die Verkäuferin (saleswoman), die Katze (cat), die Eselin (donkey), die Henne (chicken) ***In certain cases, the grammatical gender does not correspond to the natural. Example, die Wache (guard), das Mannequin (fashion model), das Fräulein (girl), das Mädchen (girl), das Weib (woman). There is no natural distinction. Example: das Rind (Bulle - Kuh), das Reh (Bock - Ricke). One word is used to designate a male and female animal: die Maus (mouse), das Wiesel (weasel)
Aircraft and ships	die Boeing, die DC 10
Types of flowers and trees	die Birke (birch), die Rose, die Orchidee *** If the name of the tree contains the word Baum, then the compound word is masculine: der Birnbaum (pear), der Kaffeebaum (coffee tree)
Name of tobacco products	die camel
Substantiated numerals	die Eins (one), die Drei (three), die Hundert (hundred), die Million (million) *** Exclusion of numbers that indicate the amount of the middle gender: das Hundert (one hundred)
Nouns ending in -e	die Lampe (lamp), die Bremse (brake)
Noun derived from a verb ending in -t	die Fahrt (ride, ride), die Schlacht (hit) ***Exceptions: der Durst (thirst), der Frost (frost), der Verlust (loss), der Dienst (service), das Gift (poison)
The noun has a suffix Ei, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ung	die Backerei (bakery), die Schönheit (beauty), die Ewigkeit (eternity), die Freundschaft (friendship), die Hoffnung (hope)
Words of foreign origin with endings Age, -at, anz, -enz, -ie, -ik, -ion, -ur	die Etage, die Qualität, die Allianz, die Konsistenz, die Geographie, die Physik, die Revolution, die Dressur

Neuter gender marked with the letter n, and the article das is used. The designations of neuter nouns are given in the table.

Noun groups	Example
Cafes, cinemas, hotels and hotels	das Leipzig, das Astoria
Chemical elements	das Kupfer (copper), das Radium (radium)
Language, units, letters and colors	das Liter (liter), das Schwarz (black), das Englische (English), das Hindi (Hindi)
Household chemicals	das E, das Ariel
Islands, continents, cities and terrain. Moreover, if there is no article in the name, then if there is an adjective or participial noun, the noun is used with the article das	(das nordliche) Africa, (das alte) Moskau
The diminutive suffix -chen and -lein is used	das Mäuschen (mouse), das Tischlein (table)
A collective noun with the prefix Ge-	das Gebirge (mountains), das Gerede (talks, rumors)
Foreign words ending -ett, -il, -ma, -o, -(m)ent, -um	das Tablett (tray), das Ventil (faucet), das Drama (drama), das Auto (car), das Dokument (document), das Gymnasium (gymnasium)
Substantivized infinitives	das Sprechen (speaking), das Lesen (reading)
Almost all nouns ending in -nis	das Ergebnis (result), das Gedächtnis (memory) ***Certain nouns can be feminine or plural: die Erlaubnis (permission, feminine), die Wildnis (wilderness, feminine), die Bitternis – bitterness (feminine) or grief (pl. )

Compound nouns

The gender of compound nouns depends on the gender of the main word. In this case, the first part is the defining word, and the last is the main word.

Der Küchenschrank (kitchen cabinet, kitchen cupboard) = die Küche (kitchen) + der Schrank (cupboard).

In a compound noun, the main word is only the name of the noun, and all kinds of parts of speech can be the defining word:

• Singular die Tisch lampe- table lamp.
• Plural –der Kräuter tee- herbal tea
• Verb – das Schlafzimmer- bedroom.
• Short adjective - der Kurz streik- Short strike.
• Preposition - das Neben amt- part-time position.

Words in a compound noun are attached to each other directly (das Schlafzimmer), or with the help of connecting elements - (e) s, (e) n - die Lebensmittel, der Küchenschrank.

When defining complex abbreviated words, you should also pay attention to the main word. For example, a passenger car - der PKW = der Personenkraftwagen.

In German, certain words are abbreviated so that only the beginning of the word or the end remains. An example is - die Universität (university) - die Uni, der Autobus (bus) - der Bus. Thanks to such abbreviations, the gender of the full word is preserved.

Note that some nouns have different meanings depending on gender. These include:

• der See (lake) - die See (sea);
• der Band (volume) - das Band (tape);
• das Steuer (rudder, steering wheel) - die Steuer (tax);
• der Leiter (leader) - die Leiter (ladder);
• der Tor (fool) - das Tor (gate);
• der Schild (shield) - das Schild (signboard, tablet);
• der Bauer (peasant) - das Bauer (cage).

Determining the gender of German nouns online

To consolidate the material, we suggest learning how to determine the case of a noun in German and put the correct article instead of dots. Exercises for determining the gender of a noun in German

Der, die or das? How to define articles in German? When to use the definite or indefinite article? How to determine the gender of a noun and how to use German articles? Almost all German nouns are preceded by a small word that scares even native speakers, but we can’t be scared, we’ll analyze it in our video and article.

Nouns in German, as well as in Russian, have a gender category - masculine, feminine or neuter. At the same time, the gender of nouns in German and Russian often does not coincide. For example:

das house- neuter, and house- male
die Fliese- feminine, and tile- male

Therefore, nouns must be memorized with the article, which indicates the gender of the noun. Remembering the gender of nouns is often difficult, but many nouns have some features that help determine the gender of these nouns. The gender of nouns can be determined:

- by the meaning of the word;
- according to the method of word formation (according to the form of the word).

1.1. Masculine (by meaning)

Male persons - der Mann(the male), der Junge(boy)
- male animals der Bar(bear)
- sides of the world - der Norden(north)
- seasons - sommer(summer), der Winter(winter)
- the names of the months - der Januar(January), der Mai(May), September(September)
- days of the week - der Montag(Monday), der Mittwoch(Wednesday), der Sonntag(Sunday)
- times of day der Morgen(morning), but die Nacht(night)
- precipitation - der Regen(rain), der Schnee(snow)
- minerals - der Granite(granite)
- stones - der Rubin(ruby)
- mountain names der Harz(harz)
- names of lakes - der Baikal(Baikal)
- alcohol - der Wodka(vodka), der Sekt(sparkling wine), but Das Bier(beer)
- monetary units - der Euro(euro) but die Kopeke(penny), die Crown(crown), die Mark(brand)
- celestial bodies der Mond(moon) but die Venus(Venus), die Sonne(sun)
- names of car brands - der Opel, der BMW

1.2. Masculine (by form)

-er– der Fahrer (driver)
-ler - der Sportler (athlete)
-ner-der Gärtner (gardener)
-ling- der Lehrling (student)
-s - der Fuchs (fox)

Note: do not confuse the suffix <-er> in derivative nouns with words whose root ends in <-er> : die Mutter, die Tochter, das Fenster, etc.

Foreign words (mostly animate) with suffixes:
-ent - der Student (student)
-ant - der Laborant (lab assistant)
-ist - der Publizist (publicist)
-et - der Poet (poet)
-ot - der Pilot (pilot)
-at - der Candidate (candidate)
-soph - der Philosoph (philosopher)
-nom - der Astronom (astronomer)
-graph - der Photograph (photographer)
-eur - der Ingenieur (engineer)
-ier - der Pionier (pioneer)
-ar - der Jubilar (jubilee)
-är - der Sekretär (secretary)
-or - der Doktor (doctor)

Note: inanimate nouns with suffixes <-ent>, <-at>, <-et> can be both masculine and neuter: der Kontinent - das Patent, der Apparat - das Referat, der Planet - das Alphabet.

Nouns formed from the root of verbs without a suffix (often with a change in the root vowel)
der Gang - (from ge hen)
der Gru ß - (from grü ßen)
der Sprung - (from spri ngen), but Das Spiel

2.1. Feminine (by meaning)

- female faces die Frau(woman) but das Mädchen (see neuter gender)
- female animals die Kuh(cow) but Das Huhn(hen), Das Schaf(sheep)
- names of trees - die Birke(Birch tree), but der Ahorn(maple)
- color names die Aster(aster), butder Mohn(poppy), der Kactus(cactus)
- names of berries - die Himbeere(raspberries)
name of fruits and vegetables die Byrne(pear), but der Apfel(apple), der Pfirsich(peach), der Kohl(cabbage), der Kurbis(pumpkin)
- most German rivers - die Elbe, die Oder, die Spree, but der Rhein, der Main, der Neckar

2.2. Feminine (by form)

Nouns with suffixes:
-in die Laborantin (lab assistant)
-ung—die Übung (exercise)
-heit—die Freiheit (freedom)
-keit—die Möglichkeit (opportunity)
-schaft —die Landschaft (landscape)
-ei—die Malerei (painting)

Foreign words with stressed suffixes:
-ie—die Chemie (chemistry)
-tät—die Universität (university)
-tion -die Station (station)
-ur—die Kultur (culture)
-ik—die Physik (physics)
-age --die Reportage (reportage)
-ade —die Fassade (facade)
-anz—die Ambulanz (outpatient clinic)
-enz —die Existenz (existence)

Most nouns with a suffix -e (mostly double sided):
die liebe (love)
die Kalte (cold)
die Hilfe (help)
die Lampe (lamp)

Note: there are also a number of nouns male ending in -e: der Kollege, der Russe, der Junge, der Name, der Gedanke, der Käse and several nouns neuter: das Ende, das Interesse, das Auge.

Nouns formed from verbs with a suffix -t:
die Fahrt (riding)
die Kunst (art)
die macht (power)

Related cheat sheets to keep yourself and enjoy:

3.2. Neuter gender (by form)

Nouns with suffixes:
-chen—das Mädchen (girl)
-lein—das Tischlein (table)
-(s)tel -das Fünftel (one fifth)

Most nouns with suffixes:
-tum
das Eigentum (property), but der Reichtum, der Irrtum-nis
das Verhältnis (attitude), but die Kenntnis, die Erlaubnis

Foreign words (objects and abstract concepts) ending in:
-(i)um—das Stadium (stadium)
-ett —das Kabinett (cabinet)
-ment --das Document (document)
-ma—das Drama (drama)
-o —das Kino (cinema)

Nouns with a prefix Ge- :
das Gewasser (waters)
das Gebirge (mountain range)
das Ge mälde (painting)

Substantivized infinitives:
das Laufen (run) - from laufen (run)
das Lesen (reading) - from lesen (to read)

As it became clear from the previous lesson, in German, as in Russian, there are three genders of nouns: masculine, neuter and feminine. The gender indicator in speech is the article: der - for the masculine, das - for the middle, die - for the feminine.

In the dictionary, gender is indicated by three different letters: m - masculine (from Maskulinum), f - feminine (Femininum), n - neuter (from Neutrum).

Sometimes the gender of a noun can suggest its meaning: we are talking about the coincidence of biological and grammatical gender, for example, in the word die Frau - woman. However, the coincidence does not always occur, for example, the word das Mädchen (girl) in German, as you can see from the article, is neuter.

The gender of many nouns largely coincides with Russian, but some of the words just need to be remembered. However, in German there are a number of rules by which you can understand the gender of a noun.

Remember! Noun in German always spelled with a big letters.

Formation of the feminine form

In German, there is a universal rule for the formation of feminine nouns, especially when it comes to professions, representatives of different nationalities, etc.: an article must be added to the masculine noun die and suffix -in. Example:

der Student - die Studentin (student - student)
der Lehrer - die Lehrerin (teacher - teacher)
der König - die Königin (king - queen)
der Löwe - die Löwin (lion - lioness)

It is interesting to note that in Russian many nouns do not have a feminine form, and if they do, then this form sounds humiliating or dismissive. For example, a doctor is a doctor. In German the suffix -in solves the problem : der Arzt - die Arztin (Doctor - Female doctor). The feminine form of the word der Arzt does not carry any negative meanings and is completely neutral.

The same rule includes nouns denoting nationalities.:

der Russe - die Russin (Russian - Russian)

der Engländer - die Engländerin (Englishman - Englishwoman)

Determining the gender of a noun

As mentioned above, the gender of a noun is specified in the dictionary. However, the word itself can also have characteristics of one kind or another. Let's consider the main ones.

The feminine gender (die) in German is indicated by:

1. Suffix -in: die Arztin (female doctor), die Engländerin (Englishwoman).

1. Nouns denoting women and girls, as well as feminine animals: die Mutter (mother), die Schwester (sister), die Katze (cat). EXCEPTION: das Mädchen is a girl.

1. The ending e for nouns that do not indicate males: die Erde (land), die Karte (ticket).
2. Nouns ending in -ei (the suffix is ​​stressed), -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ung (the suffix is ​​not stressed), -ik, -tion (stressed), -ur, -ät. These nouns denote abstract phenomena and concepts:

die Backerei (bakery), die Freiheit (freedom), die Ewigkeit (eternity), die Bereitschaft (readiness), die Übung (exercise), die Musik (music), die Nation (nation), die Natur (nature), die Universität .

1. Names of trees and many types of flowers: die Espe (aspen), die Chrysantheme (chrysanthemum).

IMPORTANT: if the name of a tree ends with the word "baum" (der Baum - tree), this noun will be masculine. For example: der Kaffeebaum - coffee tree.

1. Substantiated numerals (numerals that act as a noun): die Fünf (five), die Zehn (ten).

IMPORTANT: Numerals denoting the amount - middle kind.

1. Names of the rivers of Germany: die Elbe - Elbe.

BUT: der Rhein - Rhine, der Main - Main, der Neckar - Neckar.

1. The name of aircraft, ships, as well as brands of cigarettes.

die Boeing, die Titanic, die Kamel.

The masculine gender (der) in German is indicated by:

1. Biological males and professions, as well as male animals: der Vater (father), der Lehrer (teacher), der Kater (cat).

1. Names of seasons, months, days of the week:

der Winter (winter), der August (August), der Montag (Monday).

1. Names of cardinal directions and precipitation:

der Norden (north), der Nebel (fog).

1. Nouns ending in -ling, -el, -s, -ig, -ich, -s suffixes:

der Zwilling (twin), der Honig (honey), der Krebs (cancer

1. Words, usually of foreign origin, ending in the suffixes -ant, -ent, -ist, -loge, -eur, -är, -or, -ismus, -eur/ör. These nouns refer to males:

der Student (student), der Pianist (pianist), der Millionär (millionaire).

1. Nouns formed from a verb that do not have additional suffixes:

der Lauf (running, from the word laufen - to run).

1. Names of alcoholic beverages, as well as tea and coffee:

der Wein (wine), der Wodka (vodka), der Tee (tea).

BUT: das Bier (beer).

1. Car brands:

der Opel, der Mercedes

1. Mountain names:

der Elbrus (Elbrus).

1. Names of minerals, gems and rocks:

der Smaragd (emerald), der Marmor (marble).

The neuter gender (das) in German is indicated by:

1. Nouns with diminutive suffixes -chen, -lein.

das Mädchen, das Bächlein (brook).

1. Most nouns with suffixes -ir, -tum.

das Zeugnis (testimony), das Rittertum (chivalry).

1. Most nouns with the prefix ge-.

das Gewitter (thunderstorm), das Gesicht (face).

1. Verbs in the initial form that act as a noun.

das Lesen (reading), das Essen (food).

1. The names of hotels, cafes, cinemas, as well as the words das Hotel (hotel, hotel), das Cafe (cafe), das Kino (cinema).

1. Borrowings with suffixes -ett, -il, -ma, -o, -um.

das Paket package, parcel, das Exil (exile), das Klima (climate), das Konto (bank account), das Zentrum (center).

To consolidate the new material, try the following exercises.

Tasks for the lesson

Exercises 1. Form feminine nouns from the following words:

Der Schüler, der Lehrer, der Arzt, der Student, der König, der Kellner, der Verkäufer, der Russe.

Exercise 2. Determine the gender of the noun, enter the required article (der is masculine, das is neuter, die is feminine).

… Cafe, … Opel, … Druckerei, … Lesen, … Rubin, … Kommunist, … Klima, … Schnee, … Realität, … Wohnung, … Museum, … Geschwindigkeit, … Gedicht, … Vater, … Politik, … Schnelligkeit, …Liebe .

Answer 1:

Die Schülerin, die Lehrerin, die Arztin, die Studentin, die Königin, die Kellnerin, die Verkäuferin, die Russin.

das Cafe der Opel .

The gender of nouns (noun) in German is especially difficult for language learners, since the gender of German words often does not coincide with the gender of Russian words, and sometimes even seems illogical (for example, der Busen - breast (female), das Mädel - girl, das Kind - child).

In German, there are three genders of nouns: masculine (Maskulinum), feminine (Femininum) and middle (Neutrum). The articles correspond to them: ein and der are masculine, eine and die are feminine, ein and das are neuter. At the initial stage of learning, it is recommended to learn words immediately with the article, since it is often difficult to determine the gender without the article. Those who consider themselves advanced in learning German will be helped to determine the gender of the meaning of words and their suffixes and prefixes. However, it is possible to determine the genus following the rules in approximately 50% of cases.

Usually, the masculine gender in German includes noun. with the following suffixes:

• -er-: der Lehrer, der Zucker, der Computer. BUT! das Messer, das Fenster, das Monster.
• -ig-: der Honig, der Kafig, der Essig.
• -ich-: der Teppich, der Anstrich, der Kranich.
• -ling-: der Lehrling, der Frühling, der Zwilling. BUT! Die Reling
• -el-: der Schlüssel, der Ärmel, der Apfel.
• -s-: der Schnaps, der Keks, der Krebs.
• -ismus-: der Hinduismus, der Kapitalismus, der Sozialismus.
• -ant-: der Praktikant, der Demonstrant, der Lieferant.
• -or-: der Motor, der Konduktor, der Rektor.
• -eur-/ör: der Friseur, der Ingenieur, der Kollaborateur, der Likör.
• -us-: der Zirkus, der Kasus, der Numerus.
• -ent-: der Student, der Dozent, der Produzent.
• -ist-: der Polizist, der Kommunist, der Spezialist.
• -är-: der Revolutionär, der Reaktionär, der Millionär.
• -loge-: der Kardiologe, der Philologe, der Biologe.
• -and-: der Proband, der Doktorand, der Habilitand.
• -ast-: der Gymnasiast, der Fantast, der Kontrast.

The following nouns also belong to the masculine gender:

• formed from the root of the verb, sometimes with a change in the root vowel: der Schluss, der Fall, der Gang.
• Some words with the suffix -e- (the so-called weak declension) denoting male creatures (animals, people, nationalities): der Hase, der Junge, der Zeuge, der Russe, der Pole ...

Most of the nouns belong to the feminine gender. with suffixes:

• -e-: die Liebe, die Brille, die Schule. BUT! Der Name, das Interesse, das Ende.
• -ung-: die Wohnung, die Übung, die Werbung.
• -keit-: die Geschwindigkeit, die Kleinigkeit, die Höflichkeit.
• -heit-: die Wahrheit, die Einheit, die Krankheit.
• -schaft-: die Freundschaft, die Liebschaft, die Verwandtschaft.
• -ei-: die Druckerei, die Polizei, die Bücherei.
• -ie-: die Kopie, die Geographie, die Familie.
• -ät-: die Universität, die Qualität, die Realität.
• -itis-: die Bronchitis, die Pankreatitis, die Cholezystitis.
• -ik-: die Musik, die Politik, die Klinik.
• -ur-: die Kultur, die Frisur, die Temperatur.
• -age-: die Reportage, die Garage, die Blamage.
• -anz-: die Ignoranz, die Toleranz, die Distanz.
• -enz-: die Intelligenz, die Existenz, die Tendenz.
• -ion-: die Lektion, die Station, die Explosion.
• -a-: die Kamera, die Ballerina, die Aula.
• -ade-: die Olympiade, die Ballade, die Marmelade.
• -ette-: die Tablette, die Pinzette, die Toilette.
• -ose-: die Neurose, die Sklerose, die Psychose.
• - st-, formed from verbs: die Gunst, die Kunst. BUT! Der Verdienst.
• -t- formed from verbs: die Fahrt, die Macht, die Schrift.

The neuter gender includes nouns. with suffixes:

• -chen-, sometimes with alternating vowels in the root: das Märchen, das Mütterchen, das Hähnchen.
• -lein-, also with root alternation: das Büchlein, das Fräulein, das Kindlein.
• -um-: das Museum, das Stadium, das Datum.
• -ment-: das Regiment, das Dokument, das Engagement.
• -ett-: das Ballett, das Tablett, das Büfett.
• -ma-: das Thema, das Klima, das Schema.
• -ing-: das Shopping, das Training, das Jogging. BUT! der Browning, der Pudding.
• -o-: das Auto, das Konto, das Buro.
• -in-: das Benzin, das Cholesterin, das Nicotin.

The middle gender also includes:

• verbal nouns formed from the infinitive: das Lesen, das Schreiben, das Hören.
• most nouns with the ending -tum: das Christentum, das Altertum, das Eigentum. BUT! der Irrtum, der Reichtum.
• most nouns with the ending -nis: das Ergebnis, das Bekenntnis, das Verständnis. BUT! die Erkenntnis, die Kenntnis, die Erlaubnis, die Finsternis.
• most nouns with the prefix ge-: das Gedicht, das Gemüse, das Gelände. BUT! die Gefahr, die Geschichte.
• substantiated adjectives: das Böse, das Gute, das Schlimmste.

Genus noun. in German, it can also be determined by meaning, although in this case there are even more exceptions.

So, masculine names include:

• male living beings: der Vater, der Arzt, der König;
• days of the week, months, seasons, parts of the world, natural phenomena: der Montag, der Winter, der Süden, der Schnee;
• train car brands: der Mercedes, der VW, der Express;
• minerals, stones, incl. precious: der Sand, der Smaragd, der Rubin;
• most drink names: der Wein, der Cognac, der Tee. BUT! Die Milch, das Bier, das Wasser.

The feminine names are:

• females: die Frau, die Schwester, die Tochter. BUT! das Weib, das Mädel, das Fräulein;
• trees and flowers, some fruits: die Birke, die Eiche, die Narzisse, die Mango. BUT! Der Apfel, der Pfirsich, das Vergissmeinnicht;
• aircraft, ships, cigarette brands: die Boeing, die Falcon, die Titanic, die Europa, die Kamel, die Marlboro;
• numbers: die Drei, die Zehn, die Million. BUT! das Dutzend.

The names of the middle gender include:

• young beings: das Kind, das Baby, das Ferkel;
• metals and chemical elements: das Kalzium, das Eisen, das Jod. BUT! Der Schwefel, der Phosphor, compound nouns. with the root -stoff: der Wasserstoff, der Sauerstoff;
• fractional numbers: das Viertel, das Drittel, das Zehntel;
• countries, continents and cities: das alte Europa, das heiße Afrika, das kalte Sibirien. BUT! Die Schweiz, die Ukraine, die Niederlanden (pl), die USA (pl), die Türkei, die Slowakei, die Mongolei, der Iran, der Iraq, der Jemen, der Sudan;
• physical units of measurement: das Volt, das Ampere, das Kilogramm.

The German language is famous for its compound words (which have 2 or more roots). The genus of such entities. determined by the last word:

Das Blei + der Stift = der Bleistift.

Die Reihe + das Haus = das Reihenhaus.

Das Schlafzimmer + die Tür = die Schlafzimmertur.

If you are still in doubt and cannot accurately determine the gender of entities. in German, then do not be lazy to look into the dictionary - then you will definitely not be mistaken.

The noun is Der Substantiv. Gender of nouns in German.

It is very easy to distinguish a noun in German from other parts of speech - it is always capitalized: das Land, die Mitte, der See, die Menschen.

Since in Russian you can determine the gender of nouns at the end, in German this can be done using the article: the article DER corresponds to the masculine gender in Russian, DIE to the feminine, DAS to the middle and DIE -.
For example:

It should be noted that the gender of nouns in German and Russian in most cases does not match, for example, the noun das Boot (boat) in German is neuter, in Russian it is feminine, or vice versa die Sonne (sun) in German feminine language, and in Russian - middle. This is just one example, and, as already mentioned, there are many more mismatches in gender than matches. Therefore, when learning new words, they should be memorized immediately with the German article, and not automatically transfer the gender of the Russian noun to German.

In dictionaries, the gender of nouns is indicated as follows:

m (lat. maskulinum)- masculine, i.e. der,
f (lat. femininum)- female, i.e. die , and
n (lat. neutrum)- neuter gender, i.e. das.

The plural is not indicated in dictionaries, since it is formed from all nouns in one way - using the article die(note: see "use of the article").

There are several rules to help determine the gender of a German noun.

Female

1. Ending in suffixes -in, -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ei, -ie, -ik, -ion, -tion, -tät, -ur.

For example: die Lehrerin, die Zeitung, die Freiheit, die Neuigkeit, die Landwirtschaft, die Partei, die Sympatie, die Politik, die Union, die Communication, die Aktivität, die Kultur.

2. Cardinal numbers as a noun: die Eins (one), die Zwei (two), die Sechs (six).

3. Female beings (with the exception of the word "girl" das Mädchen!): die Frau, die Ärztin, die Praktikantin.

Male are the following nouns:

1. Denoting cardinal points, seasons, months and days of the week: der Norden, der Süden, der Westen, der Osten, der Winter, der Sommer, der März, der Dienstag.

2. Designating precipitation: der Regen, der Nebel, der Frost.

3. Beings of the masculine gender: der Mann, der Fahrer, der Praktikant.

Neuter are:

1. Nouns ending in the suffixes -chen, -lein, um-, -ment, -al.

The suffixes -chen, -lein are used to form a diminutive form of nouns). For example: das Vogelchen, das Fischlein, das Museum, das Monument, das Spital.

2. Nouns formed from a verb: das Leben, das Lesen, das Turnen.

3. Nouns with prefix ge - and suffix -(d)e: das Gemüse, das Gebäude, das Gemälde.

4. Nouns denoting young animals: das Fohlen, das Kalb, das Ferkel.

5. Most countries (used with the article only in combination with an adjective), eg. das whitee Russland, das kalte Schweden.

There are several country names that belong to a different gender and are always used with a definite article:

Feminine:
Die Schweiz, die Slovakei, die Sowjetunion, die Ukraine

Masculine:
Der Iran, der Iraq, der Libanon

Plural:
Die USA, die Niederlande

Wer von euch war schon in der Schweiz?
Meine Eltern fliegen morgen in die USA.

Exercises on the topic "Gender of nouns in German" / ÜBUNGEN

1. Find the translation of the following nouns in the dictionary and determine their gender:

border, car, customs, plant, economy, trip, sea, apartment, plane, ticket, practice, animal, year, food, conversation, earth, rain, tractor, work, bakery.

Write the German nouns in three columns according to gender. Compare the gender of German and Russian nouns.

maskulinum

Femininum

Neutrum

2. Translate the following words into Russian and match the gender in German and Russian.

maskulinum Femininum Neutrum

Der Mond die Erde das Wasser

Der Westen die Kuh das Wetter
Bahnhof die Demokratie das Bonbon
der Erfolg die Währung das Blatt
der Staat die Kanzlerin das Ziel
der Baum die Zeit das Land
der Traum die Grenze das Loch
der Einwohner die Reise das Meer
der Wunsch die Stadt das Schwein

3. Find in the right column the corresponding translation of simple sentences in the left.

1. Deutschland liegt im Zentrum Europas.	a) At breakfast he always reads the morning paper.
2. Auf dem Bauernhof gibt es Schweine, Ziegen, Hühner, Kühe und Pferde.	b) The rain prevented us from working on the field.
3. Das Fenster in meinem Zimmer geht nicht auf.	c) There are pigs, goats, chickens, cows and horses on the farm.
4. Beim Fruhstuck liest er immer seine Morgenzeitung.	d) Germany lies in the center of Europe.
5. Die Reise von Russland nach Deutschland mit dem Bus dauert etwa 24 Stunden.	e) I always fly to Russia by plane.
6. An der Grenze werden alle Autos kontrolliert.	f) Doesn't open in my room window.
7. Der Regen störte uns bei den Feldarbeiten.	g) The journey from Russia to Germany by bus takes approximately 24 hours.
8. Nach Russland fliege ich immer mit dem Flugzeug.	h) All vehicles are checked at the border.

4. Write down all the new words for you in a separate notebook and learn them!