Are there any tricks that can help me learn the gender of nouns in German?

In German, all nouns are masculine (der), feminine (die), neuter (das) or plural (die).
On the whole you need to learn the genders individually, however there some guidelines that can help you..
Nouns that are masculine by meaning
- Male people, e.g. der Artz, der Vater
- Seasons, months and days of the week, e.g. der Juni, der Freitag, der Winter
- Cardinal directions (e.g. North, South, East, West), e.g. der Norden
Nouns that are feminine by meaning
- Female people, e.g. die Frau, die Mutter
- Most trees, flowes and fruits, e.g. eine Ananas
Nouns that are neuter by meaning
- Young people and animals, e.g. das Baby, das Kind, das Ferkel (piglet)
- Hotels, cafes, restaurants and cinemas, e.g. das Ritz, das Café Rouge, das Cineworld, etc
- Names of continents, countries and towns, e.g. das Afrika, das Frankreich (France), etc
Nouns that are masculine by ending
- Nouns that end in -el; -en; -er; -ig; -ich; -ling; -and; -ant; -ar; -är; -ast; -ent; -ier; -ist; -ismus; -or; -us are normally masculine
Nouns that are feminine by ending
- Nouns that end in -age; -e; -ei; -heit; -keit; -schaft; -ie; -ek; -eke; -ik; -in; -ion; -tät, -ung, -ur are normally feminine
Nouns that are neuter by ending
- Nouns that end in -tum; -ment; -ium; -um; -ett are normally neuter

JD
Answered by Joseph D. German tutor

3164 Views

See similar German GCSE tutors

Related German GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How do I know if a word is masculine, feminine or neuter?


What is the difference between the present perfect and the past perfect?


What is the difference between nominative, accusative and dative?


Why is it incorrect to say 'in das Haus' for 'in the house'?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences