Gender of Neuter Nouns in German

The most important nouns endings that mark the neuter gender are: -chen, -lein, -ett , -ium ,-ment , -tum , -eau Keep in mind that there are exceptions.

Gender of nouns ending with “-chen” (diminutives)

– How often this ending is seen: Often – All diminutives ending with “-chen” are neuter. – No ending is added to make the plural (das Mädchen ➜ die Mädchen) Examples:

Example	Meaning
das Mädchen	girl
das Pfännchen	small frying pan
das Maskottchen	mascot
das Märchen	fairytale
das Päckchen	small package

Nouns that are not diminutive do not necessarily have to be neuter: der Drachen (dragon), der Kuchen(cake), der Knochen (bone), der Rochen (ray [zoo.]), der Rachen (throat)

Gender of nouns ending with “-lein”

– How often this ending is seen: Seldom – No ending is added to make the plural (das Häuslein ➜ die Häuslein) -All diminutives ending with “-lein” are neuter Examples:

Example	Meaning
das Häuslein	ittle house
das Vöglein	little bird
das Bächlein	brooklet
das Büchlein	booklet

Gender of nouns ending with “-ett”

– How often this ending is seen: Often – The plural can be formed with “-en” (das Bett ➜ die Betten) or with “-er” (das Brett ➜ die Bretter”) or with “-e” (das Amulett ➜ die Amulette) Examples:

Example	Meaning
das Bett	bed
das Ballett	the ballet
das Büfett	the buffet
das Omelett	the omelet
das Brett	the board
das Bankett	the banquet

Gender of nouns ending with “-ium”

– Many come from Latin – How often this ending is seen: Often – The plural is formed with the structure: “-ium” ➜ “-ien” (das Ministerium ➜ die Ministerien) Examples:

Example	Meaning
das Observatorium	the observatory
das Ministerium	the ministry
das Laboratorium	the laboratory
das Bakterium	the bacteria
das Aquarium	the aquarium
das Aluminium	the aluminum
das Silicium	the silicon

Gender of nouns ending with “-ment”

– How often this ending is seen: average – The plural is formed with “-e” for words that are from German “-e” (das Medikament ➜ die Medikamente) but with “-s” for foreign words (das Apartment ➜ die Apartments) Examples:

Example	Meaning
das Medikament	the medication
das Testament	the will
das Element	the element
das Instrument	the instrument
das Fragment	the fragment

Exceptions: der Moment (the moment), der Konsument (the consumer)

Gender of nouns ending with “-tum”

– Words coming from Latin – The u’s pronunciation is short – How often this ending is seen: Average – The plural is almost always made with the structure: “-tum” ➜ “-ten” (das Datum ➜ die Daten) Examples:

Example	Meaning
das Datum	date
das Wachstum	growth
das Ultimatum	ultimatum
das Heiligtum	relic [plural: die Heiligtümer]
das Votum	vote

Exceptions (For German words, the u’s pronunciation is long): der Irrtum (the error), der Reichtum (the wealth)

Gender of nouns ending with “-eau”

– Words coming from French – How often this ending is seen: Seldom – The plural is formed with “-s” (das Niveau ➜ die Niveaus) Examples:

• das Niveau (level)
• das Plateau (plateau)

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