Nouns and their genders

• What are the general rules for knowing if a noun is MASCULINE?

  • Masculine people and animals
  • Seasons & months (bar 'spring'= das Frujahr- spring, synonym)
  • Days of the week
  • Compass points
  • Weather and wind words
  • Rocks and precious stones
  • Alcoholic drinks (bar beer= das Bier)
  • Makes of cars
  • Rivers OUTSIDE of Germany ( exceptions- the Seine= die Seine, the Thames= die Themse, the Volga=die Wolga)
• What are the verb endings for most MASCULINE nouns (generally)?

  Words to remember to help:

  • PassANT (passerby)
  • HonIG (honey)
  • TeppICH (carpet)
  • LiebLING (favourite/darling)
  • MotOR (engine)
  • KontrAST (contrast)
  • KommunISMUS (communism)
  • RhythmUS (rhythm)
• What are the general rules for knowing if a noun is FEMININE?

  • Feminine people
  • Aeroplanes, motorbikes and ships
  • Native German names of rivers (bar 'Rhine' = der Rhein)
  • Most trees, fruits, and flowers (bar 'apple'= der Apfel)
• What are the verb endings for most FEMININE nouns (generally)?

  Words to learn to help:

  • VillA (villa)
  • CourAGE (courage)
  • ElegANZ (elegance)
  • LiebE (love)
  • PartEI (party)
  • ExzellENZ (excellency)
  • KrankHEIT (illness)
  • HeiterKEIT (joyfulness)
  • FreundSCHAFT (friendship)
  • MelodIE (tune)
  • PolitIK (politics)
  • KöchIN (female cook)
  • KantINE (canteen)
  • ExploSION (explosion)
  • NaTION (nation)
  • UniversiTÄT (university)
  • WohnUNG (flat)
  • LiteratUR (literature)
• What are the general rules of knowing if a noun is NEUTRAL?

  • Metals and chemical elements (bar 'steel'= der Stahl)
  • Letters of the alphabet
  • Infinitives or adjectives turned into nouns
  • Hotels, cafes, restaurants, and cinemas
  • Names of countries, continents, towns and provinces/federal states( exceptions- Switzerland=die Schweiz, Turkey=die Turkei, Czech Republic=die Tschechische Republik, Iran=der Iran, Iraq=der Irak, Lebanon=der Libanon, the US=die Vereinigten Staaten (pl) )
• What are the verb endings for most NEUTRAL nouns (generally)?

  Words to remember to help:

  • MädCHEN (girl)
  • ProblEM (problem)
  • VentIL (valve)
  • FräuLEIN (unmarried woman)
  • ScheMA (scheme)
  • SymptOM (symptom)
  • VierTEL (quarter)
  • ChristenTUM (Christianity)
  • InstruMENT (instrument)
  • GymnasIUM (6 form college)
  • MuseUM (museum)
  • ErgibNIS (result)
  • SchickSAL (fate)
  • LineAL (ruler)
  • SekretariAT (office, registry)
  • TalENT (knack)
  • BürO (office)
  • MikrofON (microphone)
• What are the verb endings for most NEUTRAL nouns (generally)? cont.

  Words to remember to help:

  • ArchIV (archive)
  • EtikETT (label)
  • PapIER (paper)