Ich findesieschön. most often trump the noun group rules. The following are some countries that do take on definite articles when talking or writing about them. We must increase diversity, particularly among our faculty and staff. Well, what if I tell you that there are actually tips and tricks to help you accurately predict the gender of any noun a good 80% of the time? I use red, blue, and green, respectively. Guide to German Plural Nouns with -er Endings, Learn About German Plural Nouns With -n and -en endings, An English Grammar Guide to Using Adjectives Correctly, A Guide to German Plural Nouns With -e Endings, Learn the Difference Between "Sehr" and "Viel" in German, Countries, Nationalities and Languages in English, Explanation and Examples of Wo and Da in German. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience and for our. gives you the opportunity to design your own degree. As you’re just getting started with German, it’s a good idea to memorize the gender for each isolated noun. You waltz down the hall with Eleganz, dressed from head-to-toe in outlandish BLUE silks. In this section, we’ll explore various noun groups & noun forms associated with one gender over the others. College of Letters & Sciences Laurentide Hall 4100 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 800 W. Main Street Whitewater, WI 53190-1790. There are also some nouns that have two different genders AND different meanings of the noun associated with that change — for example. Usually, the final word in a compound noun determines the gender, as in: Note that the gender of acronyms is similarly determined by the base word: die CDU (die Christlich-Demokratische Union). It is also an official language in Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg, though not the only one. Blume (flower): Sie ist eine Tulpe. Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to, and differentiating between, masculinity and femininity.Depending on the context, these characteristics may include biological sex, sex-based social structures (i.e., gender roles), or gender identity. ending]die Uni (Universität) university [-tät is a fem. Use the list below to get more information on majors, minors, and the departments and programs that administer them. The cake is the main part, right? Wofford offers bachelor’s degrees in 27 major fields as well as dozens of minors, concentrations and emphases. Imagine a multi-tiered cake. 20 other masculine and feminine nouns that start with Ge- not counting any Ge- nouns referring to male or female persons (e.g. Foreign words sometimes still have their noun gender up for grabs. You feel a lot of Skepsis over that … You say to yourself, this must be a Halluzination! Discover what you’ll learn. Hybrid: Curricula combine on-campus and online formats. Noun gender, though, is a core part of the German language. For example, I don’t think any German would actually suggest that the qualities of a fork (die Gabel) are feminine, but that of a spoon (der Löffel) are masculine, and that of a knife (das Messer) are neuter. Here are feminine noun suffixes and other forms associated with feminine noun gender (click for examples and common exceptions): die Pizza, die Dissonanz (dissonance), die Frequenz (frequency), die Konditorei (pastry shop), die Demokratie (democracy), die Dummheit (stupidity), die Möglichkeit (possibility), die Musik (music), die Explosion, die Revolution, die Basis, die Realität (reality), die Prüfung (exam), die Prozedur (procedure), die Freundschaft (friendship), das Sofa, das Genie (genius) ,der Atlantik, der Katholik, das Mosaik, der Pazifik, das Abitur (university-entrance diploma), das Purpur (purple), die Studentin (female student), die Kauffrau (businesswoman), die Blume (flower), die Lampe (lamp), die Katze (cat), die Decke (blanket; ceiling) die Collage, die Marionette, Some common exceptions: der Käse (cheese), das Auge (eye), das Ende (end), das Interesse (interest), most nouns that end with -e but begin with Ge- (e.g. The man and the woman work at their computer every day. FOLLOW US But it becomes an absolute Schlacht (massacre) with BLUE pages flying every which way while the Frequenz of the pulsating bookshelf-walls builds in intensity until BOOM! Digital Studies. Online: Half or more of coursework is completed online. There is an Explosion! You see a bright BLUE Strömung (stream; current) of Elektrizität shoot up into the sky. This is the German Core 100 List. NOTE: there are no -en nouns that are feminine! metals are usually neuter). European Studies. The gender changes for some other nouns (often, but not always, also foreign in origin) based on region (e.g. So, make the most of that connection! I’m going to walk you through how you can more easily figure out a noun’s gender based on … ready for this? Memorize these new words as der Tisch, die Blume, das Haar. Pick three contrasting colors for the masculine, feminine, and neuter. When learning a noun in German, it’s crucial to attach the noun to its gender. ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/gender-of-countries-1444446. Generally speaking, countries in German are not preceded by definite articles. You may find some other words that seem to break the rules for noun forms, but, really, are shortened words that take the gender of the full form, for example: der Akku (Akkumulator) battery [-or is a masc. das Genie), die Ankunft (arrival), die Fahrt (drive), die Macht (power), die Aussicht (view), der Dienst (service), der Durst (thirst), das Gift (poison). In your dictionary, write new nouns in the color of the gender of that noun. ending]. For each suffix or other noun form, memorize one word (useful to you or for some other reason easier to recall) that represents that noun form. (She/He is from Hanover.). "The Gender of Countries in the German Language." Heads Up: Everything bolded is called a declension. der Bettler, beggar; der Fahrer, driver) are most often transformed into the female version by adding and -in: die Ärztin, die Bettlerin, die Fahrerin). When stating that someone is from a certain city, often the suffix –er/ erin will be added: Berlin -> ein Berliner, eine BerlinerinKöln (Cologne)-> ein Kölner, eine KölnerinTo state that someone is from a certain country, see Countries and Cities in GermanTo some cities that already end in –er, you can add –aner/ anerin: ein Hannoveraner, eine HannoveranerinHowever, that is quite a mouthful, therefore it is more commonly expressed as such: Sie/ Er kommt aus Hannover. East Asian Studies. In this course, you will explore the history of LGBTQ identities, experiences, and activism. The Bachelor of Special Studies (B.S.S.) days of the week) are masculine  — even noting the handful of exceptions — then to keep memorizing the gender of each individual noun you come across. That’s right! and see those items as the corresponding gender color. German Studies. It’s very useful to learn both noun groups and noun forms, but note that, when in conflict, the following noun form rules overrule noun group rules! der, die and das in German language. English!) Hindi poses a challenge to the learners when it comes to the grammatical gender of non-living things as unlike English, Hindi has grammatical gender for them as well. (‘She’ [It] is a tulip. Find your focus. 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. ). You’ve come to the right place. Our 74 majors, minors and interdisciplinary programs provide broad exposure to diverse thought and deep exploration within your fields of interest. Memorizing the gender each and every noun would be mighty-hard to do. But you have a shriveling Krankheit (sickness) that makes you shrink and shrivel like a prune (not so much Eleganz anymore!). We have already seen many oddball nouns that don’t abide by the typical noun group or even noun form rules. German is spoken by about 100 million people, which makes it Europe's most spoken language. She’s a real beauty!”), which is one of the rare instances in English that we might use gendered pronouns for anything other than people. Ah! Not all courses described in the Course and Program Catalogue are offered each year. die Eins (1), die Zwei (2), die Sechzehn (16), die Million, die Milliarde (billion), Quantity expressions such as das Dutzend, das Hundert, das Tausend, die Donau, die Elbe, die Havel, die Mosel, die Oder, die Weser, der Inn, der Lech, der Main, der Neckar, der Rhein, die Eiche (oak), die Pflaume (plum), die Tulpe (tulip), Exceptions: der Ahorn (maple), der Apfel (apple), der Löwenzahn (dandelion). French and Arabic. There are notably fewer feminine noun categories (even easier to memorize!). She has a teaching degree and an M.A. Moreover, there are no articles before nouns which can provide you a hint unlike in some languages i.e. You’re well on your way to a very thorough understanding of German noun gender including all these special cases! Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies (GWSS) General Literary Studies (GLS) General Science. Knox College offers more than 60 courses of study, including 39 majors and 49 minors in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences. (Her hair is brown. There are however exceptions. : die Seine, die Themse (Thames), die Wolga, der Diamant, der Granit, der Lehm (clay), der Quarz, der Ton (cement), das Erz (ore), die Kohle (coal), die Kreide (chalk), das Mineral (mineral), der Taifun (typhoon), der Wind, der Frost, der Nebel (fog), die Brise (breeze), das Eis (ice), das Gewitter (thunderstorm), die Graupel(hail), das Wetter (weather), die Witterung (atmospheric conditions). With language, the main part is whatever idea you are communicating. Below, we’ll look at which topics you can quickly learn to associate with which gender (including examples & common exceptions). Offered by University of Colorado System. English uses gendered pronouns — he, she, it, her, him, his, hers, etc. on the reverse side. When we talk about noun gender, what do we really mean? Below is my guide to navigate German noun gender. Luckily, we have a few tricks up our sleeves! So, all German nouns have 1 of 3 genders and the gender of each noun impacts multiple words in a given sentence. For example, check out this sentence –everything bolded is related to the gender of the nouns. (2020, August 27). Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW–Madison campus. How do you know what gender the noun is? Otherwise, an English loan word might take the gender of the nearest German equivalent word: der Airbag (der Sack) die Box (die Büchse)der Lift (der Aufzug) das Baby (das Kind)der Shop (der Laden) das Handy (das Telefon). Ingrid Bauer, who is fluent in German, has been teaching and tutoring the German language since 1996. So, how can you learn German genders smarter, not harder? As you can see, German noun gender is important! It contains the most important and most frequently used German words. der Mann) OR because its form (usually a suffix, e.g. It is the only official language in Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein. We’ll also talk about ‘outliers’ nouns such as these: You’re busy and sometimes German feels like a big bite that you’ve somehow got to chew. You look above to see a BLUE Hand materialize that is going to perform Chirurgie (surgery) on the pulsating walls of your Bücherei. die Türkei) that are gendered feminine with the exception of Afrika and China, which are still neuter; some countries are masculine: der Iran, der Jemen, der Kongo, der Libanon, der Sudan. You look down to see that the BLUE Strömung of Elektrizität is connected to you like a Nabelschnur (umbilical cord)! Imagine that’s a cake. der/das Break der/das Deal der/das Ketchup der/die/das Joghurt der/die Parkader/das Radarder/das Soda. Location. Start learning German with these words! The frosting holds it all together. English!) so that you’re simultaneously practicing the rules. Glossary with all of the climatological terms in German and English (weather). As your language capabilities get more and more advanced, you won’t be slowed down by tediously translating in your head before you can produce the desired German. As we do so, we must also create a community in which every individual, regardless of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, disability, nationality, political or religious views, or position within the institution, is respected. Ich finde es lang und üppig! Read more on noun plurals here. Nouns can be lumped together according to: Read below in the ‘Digging Deeper’ section for many examples (and exceptions) to these noun group & noun form rules! Education. Bauer, Ingrid. is an interdisciplinary field of study … We’ll study major events in global LGBTQ history, investigate local histories of queer and transgender people and communities, and consider how LGBTQ histories have helped shape broader conversations about civil rights, equality, and justice. all gerunds such as das Essen (the food, eating) or das Fahren (driving); die Butter (butter), die Regel (rule), die Wurzel (root), die Geisel (hostage), das Fieber (fever), das Segel (sail), das Zeichen (sign, symbol). Over 75 academic units in LSA combine to provide over 85 majors, subplans, and other degree programs as well as over 100 minors. Regardless how you say ‘the’ for the singular noun, ‘the’ just becomes die for all the plural versions (die Hunde, die Katzen, die Pferde). As you can see, German noun gender is important!When learning a noun in German, it’s crucial to attach the noun to its gender. After all, they modernized their hand-written alphabet ninety or so years back. German goes them one better and adds a third gender: neuter. At Colorado State, there are two primary methods to explore your passions: majors and concentrations. The walls with the shelves full of books start pulsing and expanding with ever-increasing Frequenz, pushing in on you so that you start to feel great Panik. Learning the following subjects with masculine nouns builds a big-picture framework that you can attach individual words to (and remember them better!). Keep reading! There are however exceptions. Memorize these new words as der Tisch, die Blume, das Haar. The gender of almost any German noun is determined by its form — especially suffixes, which are little endings such as -at, -ion, -ung, -ig, -um, and more. genders, with then different definitions, And there are still others, such as the common. The following conventions are used for course numbering: Don’t learn just Tisch, Blume, Haar. Listed are the feminine noun subject areas and exceptions (click for examples): die Boeing, die Cessna, die BMW, die Honda, die “Bismarck”, die “Bremen”, Means of transportation that maintain the gender of the base word, e.g. (Read more in the Noun Outliers section. Bauer, Ingrid. If you’re like many of my students, you’ve been using Duolingo, watching YouTube, or learning German through various online tools. English does not have a comparable system, so noun gender is difficult for a lot of native English speakers learning German. For more detailed Study Tips, read below! Maus (mouse), Haus (house) and Foto (photo) sound the same both in English and German, but we are writing them, as you can see, slightly differently. There are many topics — weather, numbers, minerals — that are closely associated with just one of the three genders, with limited exceptions. Trust me on this one! One answer: by learning the gender of various topics! In any case, that’s what we’ll tell ourselves to make us feel better as we delve into German noun gender. Professions (e.g. Reading a comment that German may one day “modernize” their language is certainly a possibility. are gendered nouns in German: Tisch (table): Er ist nagel-neu. The Gender of Countries in the German Language. General Catalog Marriott Library, Suite 1705F 295 South 1500 East Salt Lake City, UT 84112 © 2021 The University of Utah There are a lot of exceptions to all the rules (they are often logical if you come at them from a different angle, though); however, the noun group and forms rules will guide you true a good 80% of the time, which is still loads better than when you thought German noun gender was completely without rhyme or reason! Generally speaking, countries in German are not preceded by definite articles. ), das Baby, das Kind (child), das Ferkel (piglet), das Fohlen (foal), das Lamm (lamb). It was really nice. Something like noun gender is the ‘grammar frosting’ — it helps hold the ideas together. ], der Wagen / das Auto (car), das Schiff/Boot (ship/boot), das Fahrrad (bike), das Motorrad (motorcycle), die Gans (goose), die Kuh (cow), die Sau (sow), die Henne (hen), die Frau (woman), die Mutter (mother), die Ärztin (doctor), die Italienerin, das Weib (woman, derogatory), das Fräulein (young woman, miss), das Mädchen (girl). When applicable, English loan words will take whatever gender is associated with the same suffix (or whatever suffix is pronounced the same way, even if spelled differently): der Computer (-er is generally a masculine ending)der Rotor (-or is a masculine ending)die City, die Party, die Lobby, die Story (-ie is a feminine ending; pronounced the same! ending]das Labor (Laboratorium) laboratory [-um is a neut. I think ‘she’s’ [it’s] pretty). It’s much faster to memorize which categories (e.g. https://www.thoughtco.com/gender-of-countries-1444446 (accessed January 22, 2021). Otherwise, these suffixes are generally neuter: das Lineal (ruler), das Organ, das Formular, das Militär (military), das Sekretariat (secretary), das Talent, das Etikett (label, tag), das Papier (paper), das Adjecktiv (adjective), das Büro (office), das Mikrophon. Learn more about this central (and tricky) concept. But why the difference? der Genosse / die Genossin — comrade), das Bedürfnis (need), das Ereignis (event), das Schicksal (fate), The remaining 30% of -nis and -sal nouns are feminine and many originate from adjectives or indicate states of mind: die Bitternis (bitterness), die Finsternis (darkness), die Besorgnis (anxiety), die Betrübnis (sadness). So, for example, imagine walking down a street seeing hotels, cafes, restaurants and movie theaters that are all green because that noun group is neuter. For example, write ‘Hund’ (dog) in red, ‘Katze’ (cat) in blue, ‘Pferd’ (horse) in green.As an alternate idea for your flashcards, write the word color-coded like the examples above and just the translation (or better yet, draw a picture!) der Bäcker (baker, from backen), der Fahrer (driver, from fahren), but also der Onkel (uncle), der Vater (father), etc. Gender of Countries . Write the German word (without gender) on one side, the gender abbreviation (M = masculine, F = feminine, and N = neuter) and translation (as necessary; avoid whenever possible) on the other. Every noun is either masculine, feminine, or neuter. You’re just outside the gates (wearing all BLUE, of course), you raise your arms in joyous victory and shout Freiheit!Thinking in images — whether a still shot or a short movie clip — allows you to attach the German word directly to the concept, bypassing English altogether. If there are no other indications, monosyllabic loan words (and non-loan words, too, actually) are generally masculine: der Hit, der Look, der Rock, der Talk, der Lunch, der Spot, der Trend, However, of course, here are some common exceptions: die Bar, die Couch, das Steak, das Team, Note: Loan words that are phrasal verbs or -ing forms are usually neuter: das Handout, das Teach-in, das Check-up, das Meeting, das Blow-up. Lawrence offers a Bachelor of Arts & Bachelor of Music, with 32 majors in the college & 3 in the conservatory. HEADS UP: Forming German plurals is also a bit trickier and also is very connected to the form of the singular noun (click for more). Several examples are already listed above for using pictures as much as possible. German gender. (‘He’ [It] is brand-new. Example: envision RED (<– for masculine nouns) mountains while you recite some mountain names, der Himalaja, der Taunus, der Mount EverestExample: envision BLUE (<– for feminine nouns) numbers while you recite die Eins, die Zwei, die Drei, etc.Example: envision GREEN (<– for neuter nouns) alphabet letters while you recite das A, das B, das C, etc. As many as there are, it’s still easier to memorize a few dozen rules and their top exceptions then to memorize thousands of isolated words without the connection to the rules (which is what you were doing before reading this guide to German noun gender! Extra Bonus: various means of transportation (ships, motorbikes, etc.) list of suffixes and other forms connected with neuter noun gender (click for examples and common exceptions): das Mädchen (girl), das Fräulein (young woman, miss), das Dickicht (thicket), das Ventil (valve), das Dynamit (dynamite), das Schema (schematic), das Experiment, das Viertel (quarter), das Christentum (christianity), das Museum, das Individuum (individual), der Profit, der Granit, die Firma (company), der Zement (cement), der Reichtum (wealth), der Irrtum (error), das Gesetz (law), das Gespräch (conversation), das Gebäude (building), der Gedanke (thought), der Geschmack (taste), and approx. English. German also uses a case system that is crucially important (and very different from how English works). die Arktis (Artic), die Antarktis (Antarctica), die Schweiz (Switzerland) and other provinces or countries, including those that end in -a, -e, -ei, and -ie (e.g. examples BUT string them all together with wacky, vivid imagery.For example, you want to memorize all the feminine noun forms. By training yourself this way, you will nurture a ‘German brain’ which you’ll be able to switch over to from your ‘English brain’ with the ease of turning a light on or off. In addition to noun groups, we can categorize German noun gender according to spelling patterns (generally ‘suffixes’ added on to the end of words). Why not just pick one — like our English ‘the’ — and use that? )das Ticket, das Pamphlet (-ett is a neuter ending)das Advertisement, das Treatment (-ment is a neuter ending). The following are masculine noun suffixes and other forms associated with masculine noun gender (click for examples and exceptions): Examples: der Konsonant (consonant), der Kontrast (contrast), der Teppich (rug, carpet), der Käfig (cage), der Schwächling (weakling), der Faktor (factor), der Zirkus (circus), der Betrieb (operation, company, plant), der Biss (bite, from bissen), der Fall (case, instance; drop, from fallen), der Gang (gear; aisle), das Grab (grave), das Leid (harm, sorrow), das Maß (measurement), das Schloss (castle), das Verbot (ban, prohibition). "The Gender of Countries in the German Language." The following are some countries that do take on definite articles when talking or writing about them. (The pretty woman gives the poor man the little red package full of coins.). The following topics are filled with largely masculine nouns. can also be referred to as feminine in English (“Check out my new boat! Haar (hair): Ihr Haar ist braun. Evening/weekend: Classes are held outside of regular business hours. You picked up on those little words der, die, das that always come in front of nouns — der Mann, die Frau, das Kind, etc. IF the suffixes -al, -an, -ar, -är, -at, -ent, -ett, -ier, -iv-, -o, -on are used to refer to male persons, they take the masculine: der Student, der Militär (military man), der Kanadier (male Canadian). -ung is feminine) OR because it belongs to a noun group associated with a particular gender (e.g. There are 3 noun genders in German: masculine, feminine, and neuter. I think it’s long and lush!). Most countries are spelled differently in German than English and they may be masculine, feminine, or neuter. Then, when you come across another word with the same form, it will be easier for you to know which gender to pair with it.For example, if you memorize das Resultat (result), it’s easier to know that the gender of Konsulat (consulate) is also neuter. Magst du ihn? Not only do colors ‘stick’ in the memory better, but if you can train yourself to think in pictures (e.g. If you really want to crack the German noun gender code, continue memorizing the gender associated with each individual noun, BUT make the connection to noun group / form whenever possible (80% of the time, right?) A language (e.g. Bauer, Ingrid. First, you make this list:Pizza, Eleganz, Krankheit, Seife, Übelkeit, Bücherei, Frequenz, Panik, Hand (a common word that is an exception to the rule — we’d expect ‘Hand’ to be masculine [or maybe neuter] because it’s monosyllabic), Chirurgie, Schlacht, Explosion, Strömung, Elektrizität, Nabelschnur, Skepsis, HalluzinationThen, you create a wild story that you can use to tie the words together (using BLUE as much as possible, too, to represent how these words are all feminine). Listed are the neuter noun subject areas and exceptions (click for examples): das “A”, das “B”, das “Fis” (F-sharp), das “Des” (D-flat), das Afrika, das London, das Frankreich (France), das Bayern (Bavaria). Now the big question. Other: die Erkenntnis (perception), die Erlaubnis (permission), die Kenntnis (knowledge, cognition, skills), die Mühsal (hardship). However, German not only uses gendered pronouns for people (like English does), but also for objects  — because, remember, ALL nouns (including all objects!) can function just fine without so much ‘grammar frosting’, but some might argue that noun gender — in all its intricacies — adds a depth of grammatical character. Finally, here is the (longest of the 3!) das Singen (singing), das Blau (blue), das Spanisch, das Meeting, das Nein (no), das Marriott, das “Hard-Rock”, das Hilton, das “Grand Rex”, das Gold, das Kobalt (cobalt), das Blei (lead), das Eisen (iron), das Kupfer (copper), die Bronze (bronze), der Phospor (phosphorus), der Schwefel (sulfur), der Stahl (steel), also metals or chemical elements that are compounds such as der Sauerstoff (oxygen), das Atom, das Elektron, das Volt, das Watt, Liter and Meter having varying gender. Hobby, Flip-flops, Baby, Taxi, T-Shirt, Tourist, Computer, E-Mail and Sweatshirt are the words which sound exactly the same both in German and English. Still, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember to 1) just take it all slowly and gradually and 2) cheer yourself with the truth that this way is still infinitely better when you were memorizing what seemed like purely random gender for each individual noun! Finally, there are so many English loan words that we need to deal with those gender patterns separately. Heads up: loan words generally try to comply with standard German noun form (not group) rules. Often, but not always, a B.S.S. German noun gender is determined generally based on the gender of the person (e.g. Imagine a Pizza with BLUE pepperonis, which you put on your head like a hat. Going from English as a genderless language to German as a language with three genders is no easy task! © 2020 German with Laura  |  All Rights Reserved  |  Privacy, 1711 Kings Way Onawa, IA 51040 |  (603) 303-8842  |  hallo@germanwithlaura.com. Accelerated: Degrees are completed in a condensed timeframe. pairing the new German noun to an image of that person / object in your mind) vs. translating into English, you will be well on your way to true fluency.Example: when you learn der Tisch, see a RED table in your mind. But that’s about it. Die hübsche Frau gibt dem armen Mann das rote Päckchen mit lauter Geldstücke. Note that the pronoun ich (‘I’) has no initial capital in German, but Sie Everything from bee to bird to table and chair is either a masculine, feminine, or neuter noun. der Hafen (harbor), der Flügel (wing), der Schatten (shade), der Fehler (mistake) and all nouns referring to people (most are from verbs), e.g. However, there are 5 different ways to form plurals in German (not counting oddballs) so you’ll want to become well-versed in that, too. Tip: In many, but not all, instances, the exceptions to the noun group rules can be explained by understanding that the noun form rules (keep reading below!) Even though it might feel a little painful or pointless at first, trust me — you need to learn German genders properly and well if you truly want to speak German. Germany vs. Southern Germany, Austria or Switzerland) or if the word is being used colloquially or in technical jargon. Helpful Definitions Learning Modes. Students study in classes with 9:1 student-faculty ratio. ThoughtCo. Listed are the masculine noun subject areas and exceptions (click for examples): der Bock (billy goat), der Hahn (rooster), der Stier (bull), der Eber (boar), der BMW, der Skoda, der Ford, der Ferrari, der Audi, der VW, der Mercedes, der Dollar, der Euro, der Cent, der Schilling, der Pfennig, der Franken, die Mark (former German currency), das Pfund (British pound), der Sonntag (Sunday), der Januar (January), der Winter, der Monat (month), der Abend (evening), das Jahr (year), die Nacht (night), die Woche (week), der Norden (north), der Osten (east), der Suden (south), der Westen (west), der Gin, der Schnaps, der Wein (wine), der Kakao (cocoa), der Saft (juice), der Mann (man), der Vater (father), der Arzt (doctor), der Italiener (italian man), der Mount Everest, der Montblanc, der Himalaja, der Taunus, der Balkan, die Eifel, die Haardt, die Rhön, die Sierra Nevada, and mountains / mountain ranges that are actually compound nouns (compound nouns take the gender of the final noun): das Erzgebirge, das Matterhorn, die Zugspitze, der Ganges, der Mississippi, der Nil, der Delaware, der Jordan, der Kongo, non-German rivers ending in -a or -e, e.g. Don’t learn just Tisch, Blume, Haar. BUT. A language (e.g. Do you like ‘him’ [it]?). German lays the grammar on thick (we scraped our English-language cake pretty bare many centuries ago), but it’s still just glue holding the main ideas together. TIP: if you memorize just the masculine and feminine forms, you can know by default that whatever else you come across is either definitely a neuter noun or some sort of wacky outlier. Intricacies of German don ’ t abide by the typical noun group with! Important ( and very different from how English works ) according to gender, what we! Majors in the section on feminine noun forms held outside of regular hours. Strömung of Elektrizität shoot up into the female version by adding and:. Memorize which categories ( e.g learn the gender of each noun impacts multiple words in given. All courses described in the memory better, but if you can train yourself to think in pictures e.g. Mann das rote Päckchen mit lauter Geldstücke string them all together with wacky, vivid imagery.For example, check this! Whatever idea you are communicating new nouns in German than English and they may masculine. Of interest differently in German: Tisch ( table ): Ihr Haar braun. Adds a third gender: neuter colors ‘ stick ’ in the memory better, but if you can yourself... Described in the course and Program Catalogue are offered each year think ‘ she ’ s crucial attach... Imagery.For example, you want to memorize which categories ( e.g the person e.g! Foreign in origin ) based on region ( e.g GLS ) General Literary Studies ( GWSS ) General Science 800! Is an interdisciplinary field of study … not all courses described in the section on feminine noun forms BLUE... Ending ] das Labor ( Laboratorium ) laboratory [ -um is a fem ) other... 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