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NOUN GENDERS


Noun Genders in German

In German nouns are divided into three different genders: Masculine, Feminine and Neuter. The definite article (the 'the' in English) has three different forms in German: 'der' for masculine words, 'die' for feminine words and 'das' for neuter words. For English speakers learning German, remembering noun genders is difficult because the genders aren’t always logical.
Cutlery for example: There is ‘die Gabel’ (the fork), ‘der Löffel’ (the spoon) and ‘das Messer’ (the knife).
English has genders for nouns as well, though they are obvious. In English, the gender is the actual gender of the noun. ‘Girl’ is a feminine word, ‘boy’ is masculine, and ‘table’ is neuter. This makes much more sense. A girl is female, a boy is male, and a table is an inanimate object. Sometimes inanimate objects will have a gender in English. For example, we often refer to boats and cars as ‘she’.
In German, the definite article is used much more often than it is in English. In English, we might say: "Rubbish is smelly." In German, the article would be also be included: "Der Müll ist muffig." 
There are some hints which can help you remember the gender of nouns in German. There are always exceptions and for most nouns you will still have to just know the gender. If you must guess, guess ‘der’. The highest percentage of nouns are masculine.

Masculine


Male people and animals

Der -  Mann, Professor, Lehrer

Days, months, seasons and most weather elements

Der - Tag, Montag, Juni, Sommer (not year/date)

Many instruments/things that do things (when these words in -er or -or)

Der - Computer, Toaster, Kugelschreiber, Motor

Points of the compass

Der - Nordwest (Northwest), Süden (South)

Brands of cars and trains

Der -  BMW, Toyota, ICE

Most non-German rivers

Der - Mississippi, Nil, Murry

Most nouns ending in -en

Der – Garten, Ofen

Nouns ending in:

-ig = Honig (honey)

-ling = Schmetterling (butterfly)

-ant = Elephant

-ismus = Optimismus (optimist)

-ler = Siedler (settler)

-är = Bär (bear)

Feminine


Female people and animals

Die - Frau, Professorin, Lererin

Most German rivers

Die – Donau, Mosel, Weser

Names of aircrafts, ships and motorbikes

Die – Boeing 747, KTM, HMS Endeavour, Black Pearl

Nouns ending in:

-ei = Bücherei (library)

-schaft = Wissenschaft

-heit = Sicherheit (safety),

-keit = Schwierigkiet (difficulty)

-ung = Zeitung (newspaper)

-tät = Universität

-ion = Produktion

-ie = Geografie

-ur = Kultur (culture)

-ade = Limonade

Neuter


Human and animals babies

Das - Kind, Baby, Lamm

Names of hotels, cafes and theatres

Das - Ritz, Hyatt, Koko Black, Palace Electric 

Names of colours used as nouns

Das - Blau, Rot, Grün

Letters

Das - A, B, C

Most metals/chemicals

Das - Gold, Kupfer, Nickel

Diminutive nous ending in -chen or -lein

Das - Kindlein, Kätzchen (kitten), Mädchen

Verb infinitives turned into nouns

Das – Essen, Schreiben. 

Collectives with Ge-

Das – Gebirge (mountain range)

Nouns ending in:

-um = Museum

-ment = Experiment

-ett = Bett

-ment = Instrument

-tum =Datum 



Bibliography

Collins German dictionary & grammar. (2014). Glasgow: HarperCollins, pp.100-107, 118-123.

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