Noun Declension (Deklination der Nomen)¶
German nouns change their endings depending on case (Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive), number (singular/plural), and sometimes gender. This process is called declension.
1. General Rules¶
- Nouns have no separate endings for case in the nominative/accusative (except a few weak nouns).
- Case is usually shown by the article (der, die, das, ein, kein etc.), not by the noun itself.
- Only some nouns change form in the genitive or in weak declension.
2. Genitive Endings¶
Many masculine and neuter nouns add -s or -es in the genitive singular.
- das Auto → des Autos
- der Hund → des Hundes
- das Kind → des Kindes
Guideline:
- One-syllable nouns → add -es (des Mannes).
- Multi-syllable nouns → usually add -s (des Autos).
3. Weak Nouns (N-Deklination)¶
Certain masculine nouns take an -en (or -n) ending in every case except the nominative singular.
Examples:
- der Junge (boy) → den Jungen, dem Jungen, des Jungen
- der Mensch (human) → den Menschen, dem Menschen, des Menschen
- der Student (student) → den Studenten, dem Studenten, des Studenten
Common weak noun groups:
- Male persons ending in -e (der Junge, der Kollege).
- Nationalities/professions ending in -ant, -ent, -ist, -oge, -at* (der Präsident, der Architekt, der Journalist).
- Some irregulars: der Herr → des Herrn.
4. Plural Endings¶
Nouns form plurals in different ways. The plural must be memorized with each noun.
| Ending Pattern | Example | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| -e (often with umlaut) | der Hund → die Hunde | -e |
| -er (often with umlaut) | das Kind → die Kinder | -er |
| -n / -en | die Frau → die Frauen | -n/-en |
| -s (foreign words, modern terms) | das Auto → die Autos | -s |
| no ending (but sometimes umlaut) | der Lehrer → die Lehrer | — |
5. Declension Example Tables¶
Masculine: der Hund (regular)¶
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der Hund | die Hunde |
| Accusative | den Hund | die Hunde |
| Dative | dem Hund | den Hunden |
| Genitive | des Hundes | der Hunde |
Masculine: der Student (weak noun)¶
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der Student | die Studenten |
| Accusative | den Studenten | die Studenten |
| Dative | dem Studenten | den Studenten |
| Genitive | des Studenten | der Studenten |
Neuter: das Kind¶
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | das Kind | die Kinder |
| Accusative | das Kind | die Kinder |
| Dative | dem Kind | den Kindern |
| Genitive | des Kindes | der Kinder |
Feminine: die Frau¶
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die Frau | die Frauen |
| Accusative | die Frau | die Frauen |
| Dative | der Frau | den Frauen |
| Genitive | der Frau | der Frauen |
6. Quick Pitfalls¶
- Forgetting weak noun endings (Ich sehe den Student❌ → Studenten✅).
- Mixing up plural endings (learn the plural with the noun).
- Adding genitive endings to feminine nouns (they don’t change: der Frau, der Frauen).
Quick Summary¶
- Articles carry most of the case information.
- Masculine/neuter nouns often add -s/-es in genitive.
- Weak nouns add -en in all cases except nominative singular.
- Plurals follow several patterns: -e, -er, -n/-en, -s, or none.