REFLEXIVE VERB a verb where the subject feeling, or to show doubt about whether

and object are the same, and where the something will happen orwhether NOUNS
action 'reflects back'on the subject. something is true. lt is only used
A reflexive verb is used with a reflexive occasionally in modern English, for
What is a noun?
pronoun such as myself, yourself, herself, example, If I were you, I wouldn't bother.:
Anoun is a'naming'word for a living being, th ing or idea, for example, womon,
for example, I washed mvselfi He shlved So be it.
happiness, Andrew. Cerman nouns change, according to their qender, case and
hinself. SUBORDINATE CLAUSE a clause which number.This is called declension.
RELATIVE CLAUSE Dart ofthe sentence in begins with a subordinating conjunction
which the relative pronoun appears. such as because or while and which must
RELATIVE PRONOUN WOTd SUCh AS thdt, be used with a main clause. In Cerman, Using nouns
who or which,when it is used to lin k two the verb always goes to the end ofthe
subordinate clause.
D n German, all nouns are either masculine,
I feminine or neuter. Th is is called
parts ofa sentence together.
their qender. In English, we call all things - for example, table, car, book, opple -
SENTENCE a group of wordswhich SUBORDINATI NG CONJUNCTION a word 'it', but in German, even words for things have a gender. lt is important to know
usually has a verb and a subject. In writing, that I inks the
such as when, because or while
that the gender ofCerman nouns rarely relates to the sex ofthe person or thing
a sentence has acapital letter at the subordinate clause and the main clause in it refers to. For example, in German, the word for "man" is masculine, but the
beginning and a full stop, question mark a sentence. ComDare with subordinate
word for "g irl" is neuter and the word for"person" is feminine.
or exclamation mark at the end. clause.
der Mann man
SINGULAR the form of a word which is SUPERLATIVE an adjective or adverb with
das MHdchen g irl
used to refertoone person orthing. -est on the end of it or rnost or ledst i n front
itthat is used to compare people, things die Person person
Comparewith plural. of
or actions, for example, thinnesf, most
STEM the main part of a verb to which
quickly, I ea st interesti ng.
endings are added.
SYLLABLE consonant+vowel u n its that
STRONG VERB a German verb whose stem German nouns are alwavs written with a capital letter.
make up the sounds of a word, for
changes its vowel to form the imperfect
example, ca-the-dral Q syllables),
tense and the past participle. lts past
i m-po-ssi-ble (4 syl lalrles).
participle is not formed by add ing -t to the > Wheneveryou are using a noun, you need to knowwhether it is masculine,
verb stem.Also known as irreqularverbs. TENSE the form of a verb wh ich shows fem in ine or neuter as th is affects the form of other words used with it. such as:
Compare with weak verb. whether you are referri ng to the past,
oresent or future.
o adjectives that describe it
SUBJECT the noun or pronoun used to . articles(such asderorein)that go before it
refer to the person which.does the action VERB a'doing'word which describes
described by the verb, for example, Mv cdt what someone or something does,
. pronouns(such aserorsie)thatreplace it
doesn't drink milk. Compare with object. what someone or something is, or what * For more information on Adjedives, Artictes or Pronouns, pages and 69.
see 4c., 25
word such as l, he, happens to them, for example, be, sing, live.
SUBJECT PRONOUN a
sheand theywhich carries out the action VoWEL one ofthe letters d, e, i, o or u. > You can find information about gender by looking the word up in a dictionary
described by the verb. Pronouns stand in ComDare with consonant. - in the Edsy Leorning Cerman Dtctionory,for example, you willfind the definite
for nouns when it is clearwho is being article (the wordforthe) in front of the word. When you come across a new noun,
WEAK VERB a Cerman verb whose stem
talked about, for example, n/y brother isn't always learn the word forthe that goes with itto help you remember its gender.
does not change its vowel to form the
here otthe moment.He'll be backin an hour. imperfect tense and the past participle. o der before a noun tells Vou it is masculine
Compare with object pronoun. Its past participle isformed byadding . die before a noun tells you it is feminine
SUBJUNCTIVE a verb form used in certain -t to the verb stem. Also known as regular o das before a noun tells vou it is neuter
circumstances to exDress some sort of verbs" compare with strong verbs.
Q psy rnsTs information on the Definite articte, see plge 25.
2 NoUNs Nour.ts 3

) We referto something as singularwhen we are talking about just one, and Gender
as pluralwhen we are talking about more than one.The singular is the form
of the noun you will usually fi nd when you look a noun up in the dictionary.
) In German a noun can be masculine, feminine or neuter. Gender is quite
unpredictable - the best thing is simply to learn each noun with its definite
As in English, nouns in Cerman change theirform in the plural.
article, that is the word for the (der, die or das) wh ich goes with it:
die Katze cat + die Katzen cats
derTeppich carpet
) Adjectives, articles and pronouns are also affected bywhethera noun is singular die Zeit time
or plural. das Bild picture
Howevet there are some clues which can help you work out or remember
the gender ofa noun, as explained below.
Ttp
Remember that you have to use the right word for the, o and so on
accord i ng to the gender and case ofthe German noun.
tr Masculine nouns
L Nouns referring to male people and animals are masculine.
der Mann man
der Ldwe (male) lion

> Seasons, months, days oftheweek, weatherand points ofthe compass are
masculine.
der Sommer SUmmer
derAugust August
der Freitag Friday
derWind wind
der Norden north
l Most nouns referring to things that perform an action are also masculine.
derWecker alarm clock
der Computer computer

Grammar Extra!
cerman nouns taken from other languages and ending in -ant, -ast, -ismus, and -or are masculine:
derTrabaIIE satel I ite
der Ballast
der Kapitalismus cap ital ism
derTresor safe

) Nouns with the following endings are masculine.

Masculine Ending Example Meaning
-ich derTeppich carper
-rg der Esslg vinegar
-ling der Friihling spflng
Forfurther explanation ofgrammatical terms, please see pages x-xiv.
4 Noutts Nourus 5

Key points
) Numbers used in counting, for example one, three, fifty are feminine.

y' Nouns referring to male people and animals are masculine. Er hat eine Drei gekriegt. He got a three
y' Seasons, months, days oftheweek, weatherand points ofthe compass D In German, there are sometimes verv different words for male and female,
are masculine. justas in English.
der Mann man
A Feminine nouns die Frau woman

> Most nouns ending in -e are feminine. der Vater father

die Mutter mother
die Falte crease, wrinkle
die Briicke bridge der Bulle bull
die Kuh cow
E Note that male people or animals ending in -e are masculine, and, nouns
lreginning with Ge- and ending in -e are normally neuter. Many masculine Cerman nouns can be made feminine by add ing -in in the
singularand -innen in the plural.
der L6,wg the lion
der Lehrer (male) teacher
das Getreide crop
die Lehrerln (female) teacher
> Nouns with the following endings are fem inine. Lehrer und Lehrerilnen (male and female) teachers

Feminine Ending Example Meaning der Leser (male) reader

-heit die schiinheit beauty die Leserin (female) reader
-keit die Sehenswiirdigkeit sight unsere Leser und Leser!nng4 our reaoers
-schaft die Gewerkschaft trade union
-un9 die Zeituno newspaper
-el die Bickerei lrakerV Grammar Ertra!
Some German adjectives are used as femin ine nouns. They have feminine adjective endings
wh ich change according to the article which comes before them.
eine Deutsche a Cerman woman
Grammar E><tra!
die Abgeordnete thefemale MP
cerman nouns taken from other languages and end ing in -anz, -enz, -ie, -ik, -ion, -tit, -ur are
feminine, with some exceptions.
r) For more information on Adjediveswhich can be used as nouns ond for Feminine adjeaive endings,
see pqges 50 ana 42.
die Distanz distance BUT: derKranz wreath
die Konkurrq4z rivalry

die Theorie theorv Knie

BUT: das knee
Key points
die Panik panlc BUT: derPazifik Pacific
y' Vostnouns ending in -e are feminine.
die Union union BUT: derspion spy y' vtanyfeminine nouns end in:-heit, -keit, -schaft, -ung, -ei.
dieElektrizitit electricity y' Masculine Cerman words referring to people can be made feminine
dieTemperatul temperature BUT dasAbitur A levels byadding-in in thesingularand-innen in the plural.
y' Numbers used in counting are Feminine.

For further explanation ofgrammatical terms, please see pages x-xiv.

5 Nouns Nourus 7

tr Neuternouns ) Nouns with the following endings are neuter.

) Most nouns beginning with Ge- are neuter. Neuter Ending Example Meaning
das Geschirr crockery, dishes -nis das Ereignis evenr
das Geschtipf creatu re -tum das Eigentum property
das Getreide crop

Nouns ending in -lein or-chen are also neuter. These are called the d iminutive
form and refer to small persons or objects. Grammar Ertra!
Cerman nouns taken from other languages and ending in -at, -ett, -fon, -ma, -ment, -um are
Endings to form the Example Meaning neuter.
diminutive
das Reserve! reservation
-lein das Kindlein I ittle ch i ld
das Tablett Iray
-chen das Hiuschen little house
dasTelefo4 pnone
dasThema subject, topic
E Note that if these words have one of the vowels a, o or u, an umlaut should
be added above the vowel. The final -e should also be dropped before these
das Medikament oru9
das Ultimatunl ultimatum BUT: der Reichtun0 wealth
end i ngs
das Studium studies
der Bach * Bich - das BHchlein (small) stream
die Katze - Kitz - das Kitzchen kitten
> Fractions are also neuter.
ey points
ein Drittel davon a third of it y'- vostnouns beginning with Ge- are neuter.
) Nouns which refer to young humans and animals are neuter. y' thediminutiveform of nouns is neuter.
das Baby balry y' Nouns referring toyoung humansand animalsare neuter.
das Kind child y' the"to" forms of verlrs (called infinitives) used as nouns are neuter.
das Kalb calf y' Nouns ending in -nis or-tum are neuter.
das Lamm lamb

@ ruote that the animals themselves can be any gender.

der Hund dog t1_l Compound nouns
die Schlange 5naKe
das Vieh cattle What is a compound noun?
A compound noun is a noun made up of two or more words, for example,
) Infinitives (the"to"form ofverbs) used as nouns are neuter. ti n -o pene r and railw ay stati o n.
das Schwimmen swimming
das Spielen playing
D n Cerman, these words nearly always take thei r gender from the LAST nou n
daS Radfahren cycling
I

of the compound word.

Q For more informotion on lnfinitives, see plge :64. die Armbanduhr (Armband + die Uhr) wristwatch
derTomatensalat Cfomaten + der Salat) tomato salad
der FuBballspieler (FuBball + der Spieler) footballer

For further explanation of grammatical terms, please see pages x-xiv,

8 Nourus Nouls 9

The Cases
Grammar Ertra!
Some Cerman nouns have more than one oender.Afew nouns have two oenders and sometimes
) InCerman,therearefourgrammatical cases-nominative,accusative,qenitive
one ofthem can only be used in certain regions and dative. The case you should use depends on the grammatical function ofthe
derllag Marzipan marzipan (der Marzipan is used mostly in Austria)
noun in the sentence.
derldas Keks biscu it (dds Keks is used mostlv in Austria)

derldas Kaugummi chewing gum

tr The nominative case
Other nouns have two genders and the meaning ofthe word changes dependi ng on which D The nominative case is the basic form of the noun and is the one Vou find in the
gdnder it has.
dictionary.
der Band volume, book
das Band ribbon, band, tape; bond Case Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative derWagen die Dose das Lied
der See lake
ein Wagen eine Dose ein Lied
die See

der Leiter
die Leiter
leader, manager
ladder
+ For more informotion on Aftictes, see poge 25.

The nominative case is used for:

) In German, abbreviations have the same genderas the word they come from.
. the subject of the sentence, that is the person, animal or thing'doing' the
action
die BRD the Federal Republic of Cermany
(from die Bundesrepublik Deutschland ) Das Midchen singt. The girl is singing.
Die Katze schl5ft. The cat is sleeping.
die DB theCerman Railways
(from die Deutsche Bahn) o after the verbs sein (meaning to be) and werden (meaning to be, to become)
das ZDF Germanw channel Erist ein guter Lehrer. He is a good teacher.
(from das Zweite Deutsche Fernsehen) Das wird ein Pullover. It's going to be a jumper.

Key points e Theaccusativecase

y' Compound nouns are nouns made up of two or more words and D The articleforfeminine and neuter nouns in the accusative case has the same
usually take their gender from the last part of the compound word. form as in the nominative. Der for masculine nouns chanoes to den and ein
y' SomeCerman nouns have morethan oneqenderand thiscan affect to einen.
their meaning. Case Masculine Feminine Neuter
t abbreviations have the same gender as the words they come Nominative der Wagen die Dose das Lied
:r:r#r" ein Wagen eine Dose ein Lied
Accusative den Wagen die Dose das Lied
einen Wagen eine Dose ein Lied

Q For more information on Aftictes, see page 25.

) The accusative case is used:

o to show the d i rect ob iect of a verb. Th is is the person, an i mal or th in g affected
Forfurther explanation ofgrammatical terms, please see pages x-xiv. bv the action ofthe verb.
to Noutrts NouHs tr
He gave me a lrook. -What did he give me? - abook(=diys61e6itt 1
o in some set expressions
Can you get me a towel? -Wh\t cln you get me? - atowel (=liys61s6i..11 Guten Abend! Good eveningl
ch sehe den Hund . -What do I see? * den Hund (=direct object)
f Vielen Dank! Than k you very m u ch !

Er hat ein Lied gesungen.* Wh at did he sing? + ein Lied (=/iysct object)

o after certain prepositions (words in English such as dt, for, with, into orfrom) d The genitive case
which are alwavs used with the accusative. ) Der for mascul ine nouns and das for neuter nouns change to des. Ein changes
to eines. The end ings of mascu line and neuter singular nouns also change in the
Es ist fiir seine Freundin. It's for his g irlfriend.
genitive case.
Es ist schwierig ohne einen Wagen. lt's difficult without a car.
durch das Rauchen wurde ich Smoking made me ill. D -s is added to masculine and neuter nouns ending in -en, -el, -er.
krank. -
der Wagen car des Wagens

+ For more informotion on Prepositionsfollowed by the accusative case, see page 66

-
das Rauchen smoking des Rauchens
der Esel donkey -
des Eselg
o after certain prepositions of place when movement is involved: der Computer computer + des Computerg
an on, to, at lch mag die Farbe des Wageng. I li ke the colour of the car.
auf on, in, to, at Die GriiBe des Computerg The size of the comouter isn't
hinter behind ist nicht wichtig. important.
in in, into, to D -es is added to most masculine and neuter nouns of one syllable ending in a
neben nextto, beside consonant.
0ber over, across, above der Freund friend - des Freundes
unter under, among der Mann man * des Mannes
vor in front o[, before '
der Sitz seat des Sitzes
zwischen between der Arzt doctor + des Arztg5

Stell dein Rad neben mein Auto. Put your bike next to my car.
-
derTisch table des Tisches

Sie legten ein Brett liber das Loch. They put a board over the hole.
das Schloss castle - des Schlosses
Die Schwester desArztes hilft The doctor's sister helps him
[J ruotethatwhen there is no movement involved afterthese prepositions, manchmal in der Sprechstunde. in the surgery sometimes.
the dative case is used. Das Museum befindet sich The museum is nearthe castle.
Sie geht in die Stadt. (dccusdtive) She's going into town. in der Nihe des Schlosses.
Er war in der Stadt. (dotive) He was in town. ! Die changes to der and eine to einer in the genitive. The endings of fem inine

+ For more information on Prepositions followed by the accusotive or the dotive case,
sinqular nouns in the genitive case are the same as in the nominative.
see poge 158. die Arztin (female) doctor - der Arztin

o in many expressions of time and place which do not have a preposition Case Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative der Wagen die Dose das Lied
Das macht sie ieden Donnerstag. She does that everyThursday.
ein Wagen eine Dose ein Lied
Die Schule ist einen Kilometer The school is a kilometre awav.
Accusative den Wagen die Dose das Lied
entfernt.
einen Wagen eine Dose ein Lied
cenitive des Wageng der Dose des Lied5
eines Wagens einer Dose eines Lieds

For further explanation ofgrammatical terms, please see pages x-xiv. * For more information on Articles, see poge 25.
12 Nout'ts NouHs r3
) The genitive case is used:
. to show that something belongs to someone
Grammar Ertra!
-e may also be added to the dative singular ofmasculi ne and neuter nouns to make the phrase
DasAuto der Frau war rot. The woman's carwas red.
easrerto Dronounce
DerHundmeiner Mutteristganz Mymother'sdogisreallysmall.
zu welchem zwecke? to what purpose?
klein.
. after certain prepositions which always take the genitive
Weqen des schlechten Wetters We'll have to go home because The dative case is used:
miissen wir nach Hause gehen. ofthe bad weather. . to show the ind i rect object of a verb - an ind irect object answers the question
Ifglz ihrer Krankheit geht sie She goes for a walk every day, who to/for? ot to/for whatT
jeden Tag spazieren. despite her illness.
He gave the man the book. * Who did he give the book to? + the man
o in some expressions of time noun indirect object)
(=

eines Tages one oay Er gab dem Mann das Buch.

o aftercertainverbs
E_l The dative case Erhilft seiner Mutter im He helps his motherwith the
) Der changes todem and ein toeinem in the dative. Singular nouns in the dative Haushalt. housework.
have the same form as in the nominative.
Q F or more i nformoti on on Verbs followed by the dotive cose, see po ge u8.
dem Auto to the car
dem Midchen to the girl o aftercertain prepositionswhich alwaystakethe dative
Nach dem Essen gingen wir After eating we went for a walk.
D Die changes to der and eine to einer in the dative. Singular nou ns in the dative
spazieren.
have the same form as in the nominative.
Er kam mit einer Freundin. He came with a friend.
Case Masculine Feminine Neuter
t-) FormoreinformationonPrepositionsfollowedbythedotivecose,seepoge$3.
Nominative der Wagen die Dose das Lied
ein Wagen eine Dose ein Lied . aftercertain prepositions to show position
Accusative den Wagen die Dose das Lied an on, to, at
einen Wagen eine Dose ein Lied auf on, in, to, at
Genitive des Wageng der Dose des Lieds hinter behind
eines Wagens einer Dose eines Lieds in in, into, to
Dative dem Wagen der Dose dem Lied next to, beside
neben
einem Wagen einer Dose einem Lied
iiber over, acro55, above
unter under, among
Q For more information on Aftictes, see p\ge 25. front ol before
vor in
) -e is added to some nouns in certain set Dhrases. zwischen between
Wirgehen nach Hause. We're going home. lch sitze neben dem Fenster. l'm sitting next to the window.
Er hat sich zu Tode gearbeitet. He worked himself to death. Die Katze lag unter dem Tisch. The cat lay under the table.

Forfurther explanation ofgrammatical terms, please see pages x-xiv.

14 Nouns Nourus r5

[f ruote tnat when there is some movement involved afterthese prepositions, Key points
the aqcusative cis,g is used. y' In German, there arefourgrammatical cases- nominative, accusative,
Er war in der stadt. (dotive) He was in town. genitive and dative.
Sie geht in die Stadt. (accusative) She's going into town. ( necase you use depends on the grammaticalfunction of the noun
in the sentence.
+ For more information on Prepositionsfollowed bythe accusotive orthe dative cose, ( tnenominative case is used to showthe subjectofa sentence and
see page l58. after the verbs, sein and werden.
In certatn expressrons
y' The accusative case is used to show the direct object ofa sentence
and after certain prepositions.
Mir ist kalt. I'm cold.
y' negenitive case is used to show that something belongs to
o insteadofthepossessiveadjective(my,your,his,her,its,ourortheir)torefer somebody, and after certai n prepositions.
to parts of the body and items of clothing y' medative case is used to show the indirect object of a sentence,
lch habe mir die Haare gewaschen. I washed my hair. and after certain prepositions and verbs.
Zieh dirdieJacke aus. Takeyourjacketoff.

* For more informltion on Possessive odjectives, see page 37.

D Changesto the defi niteand indefi nitearticlesder, die ordasand ein, eine or
ein for each case are summarized in the table below to help make it easier for
you to rememberthem.

Masculine Feminine Neuter

Case Singular Singular Singular
Nominative der die das
ein eine ein
Accusative den die das
einen eine ein
Genitive des der des
eines einer eines
Dative dem der dem
einem einer einem

Q For more informotion on Afticles, see plge 25.

Forfurther explanation ofgrammatical terms, please see pages x-xiv.

16 Noutts Nourus r7

Forming plurals Die Blumen waren nicht teuer. The flowers weren't expensive.
Die Lehrerinnen sind ziemlich jung. The (female) teachers are quite
) |n English we usually make nouns plural by adding an -s to the end (gorden - youn9.
gordens',house* houses), although we do have some nouns which are irregular
Das Leben der Frauen in vielen In many countries, women's lives
- -
and do not follow th is pattern (mouse mice: child children).
Lindern ist schwierig. are difficult.
> In German, there are several differentways of making nouns plural. Wo gehst du rnit den Blumen hin? Where are you going with the
) The definite article changes in the plural, as shown in the table below: flowers?

Case
Masculine
singular
Feminine
Singular
Neuter
singular
All Genders
Plural
tr Nouns with no endinq in the plural
Nominative der die das die
D Many nouns have no plural endi ng - these are mostly masculine or neuter nouns
ending in -en, -eror-el.
Accusative den die das die
Genitive des der des der Case Singular Plural
Dative dem der dem den Nominative der Kuchen (cake) die Kuchen
der Lehrer (teacher) die Lehrer
* For more information on Afticles, see page 25. der Onkel (uncle) die Onkel
Accusative den Kuchen die Kuchen
den Lehrer die Lehrer
den Onkel die Onkel
Nouns in the dative plural ALWAYS end in -n, except those nouns wh ich come
Genitive des Kuchens der Kuchen
from other languages. Most of their pluralforms end in -s. For example: des Lehrers der Lehrer
des Onkels der Onkel
Dative dem Kuchen den Kuchen
dem Lehrer den Lehrern
dem onkel den Onkeln
t1-l Feminine plural nouns ending in -n. -en. -nen
Die Kuchen sehen lecker aus. The cakes look delicious.
> Most Cerman feminine nouns form their plural by adding -n, -en or -nen to their
singu lar form. Die onkel kommen morgen an. The uncles are coming tomorrow.
Das war die Schuld der Lehrer. That was the teachers'fault.
Case Singular Plural
Es gibt ein kleines Problem mit There's a slight problem with
Nominative die Blume (flower) die Blumen den Kuchen. the cakes.
die Frau (woman) die Frauen
die Lehrerin (teacher) die Lehrerinnen Some of these nouns also have an umlaut added to the first vowel a. o or u in the
Accusative die Blume die Blumen plural.
die Frau die Frauen
Case Singular Plural
die Lehrerin die Lehrerinnen
Nominative derApfel (apple) die Apfel
Genitive der Blume der Blumen der Garten (garden) die Garten
der Frau der Frauen
Accusative den Apfel die Apfel
der Lehrerin der Lehrerinnen den Garten die Girten
Dative der Blume den Blumen
Cenitive des Apfels der Apfel
der Frau den Frauen des Gartens der Girten
der Lehrerin den Lehrerinnen Dative dem Apfel den Apfeln
dem carten den certen
Forfurther explanation ofgrammatical terms, please see pages x-xiv.
18 Nouns Nourus r9
Die Apfel sind genug.
nicht reif The apples aren't ripe enougn. Die Geschenke sind aufdem Tisch. The presents are on the table.
Die Girten waren wunderschiin. The gardens were beautiful. lch muss die Kinderabholen. I have to pick up the children.
Schau mal die Gr6Re derApfel ant Look at the size ofthe applest DieAuswahl derTische im Laden The shop had a large selection
Den Apfeln fehlt ein bisschen Sonne. The apples need a bit ofsun. war groB. oftables.
Sie geht mit den Kindern spazieren. She's going for a walk with the
tr Plural nouns ending in':e children.

) Some masculine nouns add an umlaut above the first vowel a, o or u and an -e D Some masculine and neuter nouns add an umlaut above the fi rst vowel a, o or u
end ing to form the plu ral. A few fem i ni ne nouns with a i n the stem also fol low and an -er ending in the plural.
this pattern. Nouns in this group often have one syllable only. Case singular Plural
Case Singular Plural Nominative das Dach (roof) die Dlcher
der Mann (man) die Minner
Nominative der Stuhl (chair) die Sriihte
die Angst (fear) die Angstg Accusative das Dach die Decher
den Mann die Minner
Accusative den Stuhl die stilhle
die Angst die Angstg Genitive des Dach(e)s der Dicher
des Mannes der Manner
cenitive des Stuhl(e)s der St!!hle
der Angst der Angste Dative dem Dach den DHchern
dem Mann den Miinnern
Dative dem Stuhl den stuhlen
der Angst den Angsteq
Die Ddcher werden repariert. The roofs are being repaired.
Die stlihle sind neu. The chairs are new. Man hatte die Minnerviillig The men had been completely
Die Regierung muss die Angste The government has to take ver9essen. forgotten.
der Bev6,lkerung ernst nehmen. the population's fears seriously. Was ist die Rolle der Minner in What is the role of men in our
Die Farbe der Stiihle. The colour of the chairs. unserer Gesellschaft? society.
DerTischler macht den Stiihlen The carpenter is making new Die Frauen sollten den Mlnnern Women should not always
neue Beine. legs forthe chairs. nicht immer recht geben. agree with men.

E_l Some unusual plurals

E_l Masculine and neuter plural nouns endinq in -e, -er or'ier
D There is another g roup of German nou ns wh ich don't follow any of the rules for
) Masculine or neuter nouns often add -e or-er to form the plural.
forming plurals - you just have to remember theml Here are some of the most
Case singular Plural common ones. As you will see, many of them are words from other languages,
Nominative das Ceschenk (present) die Geschenkg and it is common for such words to form their plural by adding -s:
derTisch (table) die Tische
Singular Meaning Plural
das Kind (child) die Kinder
dasAuto die Autos
Accusative das Geschenk die Geschenke
den Tisch die Tische das Hotel hotel die Hotels
das Kind die Kinder das Restaurant restau rant die Restaurantg
cenitive des Geschenks der Geschenkg das Baby baby die Baby5
des Tisches derTische das Thema theme, topic, subject dieThemen
des Kindes der Kinder
das Drama drama die Dramen
Dative dem Geschenk den Geschenken
das Risiko risk die Risiken
dem Tisch den Tischen
dem Kind den Kindern der Park parK die Park5
der chef boss, chiel head die chefs
Forfurther explanation ofgrammatical terms, please see pages x-xiv. die Firma firm die Firmen
20 Nouls Nourus zt

Die Hotelg in der Stadt sind The hotels in town are ouite
ziemlich teuer. exoensive.
Die Risike4 sind sehr hoch. The risks are very high.
y' Most German fem i n i ne r pt urat try add i ns -n, -en or
"",
-nen to their singular form. ":?:rTil:l
Die Kinder finden die Baby5 ganz The children think the balries are
niedlich. really cute.
y' uanVnouns have no plural ending -theseare mostly masculineor
Was heltst du von den Preisen der What do you think of the prices of neuter singular nouns end ing in -en, -er or-el. Some of these nouns
Autol? also have an umlaut added to the vowel in the plural.
the cars?
Das ist die Stadt mit den vielen That's the town with all the parks.
y' Some masculine nounsadd an umlautabovethefirstvowel a, o oru
Parks. and an -e ending to form the plural. A few femi n ine nouns with a in
the stem also follow this pattern.
y' Masculineand neuternouns often add-e or-er in the plural, and can
El Pluralversussingular sometimes add an umlaut above the first vowel a, o or u.
> Some nouns are always plural in English, but singular in German. y' There are some unusual plural nouns in German which don't follow
eine Brille glasses, spectacles any Pattern.
eine Schere scissors y' Some nouns are always plural in English, but singular in German.
eine Hose trousers y' Nouns of measurement and quantity usually remai n si ngular even
if preceded by a plural numlrer.
) These nouns are only used in the plural in German to mean more than one pair.
y' ne substance which they measure follows in the same case as the
zwei Hosen two pairs of trousers noun ofquantity.

tr Nouns of measurement and quantity

) These nouns, used to describe the quantity or size of something, usually remain
singular, even if preceded by a plural number.
MOchten Sie zwei Stiick? Would you like two?
lch wiege fiinfzig Kilo. lweigh eightstone.

) The substance which they measure follows in the same case as the noun of
quantity, and NOT in the genitive case as in English.
Sie hat drei Tassen Kaffee She drank three cups ofcoffee.
getrunken.
Erwollte zwei Kilo Kartoffeln. He wanted two kilos of potatoes.
Drei Glas WeiRwein, bitte! Three glasses ofwhite wine,
please.

Forfurther explanation ofgrammatical terms, please see pages x-xiv.

22 Noutrts Noutrs z3

Weak nouns . some other common masculine nouns:

der Bauer farmer
) As we have seen, German nouns may change, accordi ng to thei r qender, case
and number.This is called declension. der Chirurg su rgeon
der Franzose Frenchman
> Some masculine nouns have a weak declension - this means that they end in
der Kollege colleague
-enot if the word ends in a vowel, in -n, in every case EXCEPT in the nom inative
der Mensch human being
singular case.
der Ochse OX
) Weak masculine nouns follow the pattern shown: der Spatz sparrow
Case Singular Plural Der junge Franzose wollte The young French guy wanted
Nominative der.lunge die Jungen schottland besuchen. to visit Scotland.
Accusative den Jungen dieJungen lch habe den Franzosen seit I haven't seen the French guy for

Genitive des Jungen derJungen einer Woche nicht mehr gesehen. a weeK.

Dative dem Jungen den Jungen

> Weak masculine nouns include: Grammar Extra!

. those ending in -og(e) referring to men The noun der Name follows the same pattern as derJunge, except in the genitive singular,
where it adds -ns instead ofj ust -n. Der Buchstabe (meaning letter(ofthe alphabet)),der Funke
der Psycholooe the psychologist (meaning spdrk) and der Gedanke (meaning thought) also follow this pattern-
Der Psychologe half ihm in The psychologist helped him
Case Singular Plural
seiner Krise. through his crisis.
Nominative der Name die Namen
. those ending in -aph (or-af) or-oph
Accusative den Namen die Namen
der Paragraf the paragraph Genitive des Namens der Namen
der Philosoph the philosopher Dative dem Namen den Namen
Der Paragrgf umfasste The paragraph was 35o words
35o Wijrter. long. Das hingt von der Wichtigkeit That depends on how important
des Namens ab, the name is.
those ending in -ant
der Elefa4l the elephant
der Diamant the diamond
Der Diamant war sehr viel The diamond was worth a lot
Geld wert. of money.

those ending in -t referring to men

derAstronau! the astronaut
der Komponisl the composer
derArchitek! the architect
Um Astronau! zu werden, muss You have to tra i n for years to
man jahrelang trainieren. become an astronaut.

Forfurther explanation ofgrammatical terms, please see pages x-xiv.

24 Nouns AnrrclEs 25

Proper nouns Articles

What is a proper noun? What is an article?
A proper noun the name of a person, place, organization orthing. Proper nouns
is ln English, an article is one of the wo-dsthe, a, and an which is used in front of
are always written with a capital letter, for exam ple, Kevin, Glasgow, Europe, a noun.
London EVe.

) E Different tvpes of articles

In German, names of people and places only change in the qenitive sinoular
when they add -s, unles3 they are preceded by the definite article or a > There are two tvpes of article:
demonstrative adjective (in English, this, that,these andthose).
o thedefinitearticle: theinEnglish"Thisisusedtoidentifyaparticularthing
Annas Buch Anna's book or person.
Klaras Mantel Klara's coat
I'm going to the supermarket.
die Werke Goethes Goethe's works
That's the woman I was talking to.
BUT
der Untergang der Titanic the sinking of theTitanic o the indefi nlte article: a or on in English, some or any (or no word at all) in the
plural.This is used to referto something unspecific, orsomething thatyou
Q For more information on Articles ond Demonstrative adjectives, see pages z5 ond y. do not really know about.
ls there a supermarket near here?
I need a day off.
Grammar Extra!
Where proper names end in -s, -sch, -ss, -8, -x, -2, or -tz, adding an extra -s for the genitive
makes them very difTlcult to pronounce.This is best avoided by using von + the dative case lZ rhe definite article
das Buch von Hans Hans's book > ln English the defi n ite article the always keeps the same form.
die Werke von Marx theworks of Marx
the book
die Freundin von Klaus Klaus's girlfriend
the books
with the books

} Herr (meaningMr) is always declined when it is part of a proper name. > In Cerman, however, the definite article has manyforms.AllCerman nouns are
either masculine, femin ine or neuter and, just as in English, they can be either
an Herrn Schmidt to MrSchmidt
singularorplural.Theword you chooseforthedepends on whetherthe noun it is
Sehr geehrte Herrgn Dear Sirs used with is masculine, feminine or neuter, singular or pluralAND it also depends
D Surnames usually form their plurals by adding -s, unless they end in -s, -sch, -ss, on the case of the noun. This may sound complicated, but it is not too difTicult.
-8,-x, -2, or-tz, in which case they add -ens. They are often preceded by the Die Frau ging spazieren. The woman went for a walk.
definite article. Der Mann ist geschieden. The man is divorced.
Die SchmidtS haben uns zum The Schmidts have invited us to sie f5hrt mit dem Auto in die Stadt. She travels into town by car.
Abendessen eingeladen. dinner. Die Farbe derJacke gefSllt mir I don't like the colour ofthejacket.
Die Schultzens waren nicht zu The Schultzes weren't at home. nicht.
Hause. lch muss die Kinder abholen. I have to pick up the children.

Q For more information on Articles, see plge 25. Das will ich mit den Beh6rden I wantto discuss thatwith the
besprechen. authorities.

Forfurther explanation ofgrammatical terms, please see pages x-xiv. * For more informotion on Nouns, see plge 1.