The genitive case has four functions. It is widely rumored that the genitive case is falling out of usage in German. This statement only applies conditionally to certain functions of the genitive; these will be noted below.

1) Possession & relationships

The genitive case indicates that noun belongs to or bears some kind of relationship with someone or something. The genitive is rendered in English as a possessive with an ‘s or with the preposition of.

EXAMPLES:

Die Farbe meiner Augen ist blau.  The color of my eyes is blue.	The genitive specifies that a quality –the color — “of my eyes” is being discussed.
Der Beruf des Mannes ist Arzt.  The profession of the man is doctor.	The genitive “of the man” indicates whose profession is being discussed.
Der Bruder meiner Freundin heißt Lars.  My girlfriend’s brother is named Lars.	The genitive “of my girlfriend” indicates whose brother is being discussed.

Note that the genitive construction typically follows the noun that it modifies (like the English construction using of). An exception to this is the use of proper names in the genitive, which simply add an –s or, if the name already ends in -s, an apostrophe.

Susans Kusine kommt zu Besuch. Arnold Schwarzeneggars Heimatstadt ist Thal in Österreich. Hans‘ Auto ist in der Werkstatt.

In colloquial German, genitives denoting possession and relationships are sometimes replaced by von + the dative:

Die Farbe von meinen Augen ist blau. Der Beruf von dem Mann ist Arzt. Der Bruder von meiner Freundin heißt Lars. Die Kusine von Susan kommt zu Besuch.

In formal standard German, however, the genitive of possession and relationships occurs frequently.

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2) Object of a genitive preposition

The object of an accusative preposition takes the genitive case in formal standard German. These are some of the more common genitive prepositions:

(an)statt	instead of	jenseits	on the other side of
anlässlich	on the occasion of	kraft	by virtue of
anstelle	in place of	laut	according to
aufgrund	on the basis of	seitens	on the part of
außerhalb	outside of	trotz	despite, in spite of
bezüglich	with regard to	während	during
innerhalb	within	wegen	because of

EXAMPLES OF USAGE:

Er wohnt außerhalb der Stadt.  He lives outside the city.	“The city” is the object of the genitive prep.außerhalb.
Trotz des Regens spielen wir Fußball.  We’re playing soccer despite the rain.	“The rain” is the object of the genitive prep. trotz.
Aufgrund dieses Fehlers wurde ich entlassen.  I was fired on the basis of this mistake.	“This mistake” is the object of the genitive prep.aufgrund.

In colloquial German, some of these prepositions — wegen, während, trotz, laut — are frequently used with the dative, although this is generally regarded as incorrect in standard formal written German. Note, however, that the genitive and dative forms of feminine nouns are identical.

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3) Object of a genitive verb or genitive construction

A number of verbs, adjectives, and idiomatic expressions require a genitive object in German. There used to be many more such genitive expressions in German (as in English to avail oneself of, to take note of), but these have become replaced over time with other verbs and prepositional phrases. In general, the genitive verbs that are still used convey a highly educated tone.

sich annehmen	to see to	sich enthalten	to refrain from
sich bedienen	to make use of	gedenken	to think of
bedürfen	to be in need of	sich rühmen	to boast of
sich bemächtigen	to take control of	sich vergewissern	to make certain of

EXAMPLES OF USAGE:

Er bedient sich einer Metapher.  He makes use of a metaphor.	“A metaphor” is the genitive obj. of the verb sich bedienen.
Hartholzmöbel bedürfen einer besondern Pflege. Hard wood furniture is in need of special care.	“Special care” is the genitive obj. of the verb bedürfen.

In addition to the genitive verbs, a number of adjectives and other idiomatic phrases are used with genitive objects. Here are some of them:

bedürftig	in need	sicher	certain
bewusst	conscious	verdächtig	suspicious
gewiß	certain	wert	worth
schuldig	guilty	würdig	worthy

Notice that the genitive objects that accompany these adjectives are often rendered in English with an accompanying “of”. There is no need to add an additional preposition to the German sentence, since these meanings are included when the noun or pronoun is declined in the genitive case.

EXAMPLES OF USAGE:

Sie ist des Mordes schuldig.  She is guilty of the murder.	“(Of) the murder” is the genitive object of the adjective “guilty”.
Es ist der Mühe nicht wert.  It is not worth the effort.	“The effort” is the genitive object of the adjective “worth”.
Anna war sich der Gefahr bewusst.  Anna was aware of the danger.	“(Of) the danger” is the genitive object of the adjective “aware”

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4) Expressions of indefinite time

Expressions of non-specific time that are (1) not adverbs (e.g., irgendwann, manchmal) and (2) not governed by a preposition (e.g., seiteiner Ewigkeit) take the genitive case.

EXAMPLES:

Eines Tages besuchen wir München.  Someday we’ll visit Munich.	“Someday” is an expression of indefinite time.
Eines Abends war ich bei Freunden.  One evening I was at my friends’ place.	“One evening” is an expression of indefinite time.

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Nouns in the GENITIVE CASE

Finally, here are some examples of nouns in the genitive case. Genitive pronouns are used infrequently and only in elevated speech. Words and endings in red indicate a change in form from the dative.

Nouns				Personal Pronouns
masculine	feminine	neuter	plural
des Onkels dieses Onkels eines Onkels keines Onkels unseresOnkels	der Tante dieser Tante einer Tante keiner Tante unserer Tante	des Buches diesesBuches eines Buches keinesBuches unseresBuches	der Kinder dieser Kinder Kinder keiner Kinder unsererKinder	not commonly used in the genitive case

	[pun:] Geh nicht tief ins Wasser, weil es da tief ist.

	The care of one tooth is simple. But you have a couple more of them.

  The Genitive Case in English: English shows possession through the genitive case, which marks the noun in question with “-‘s” (or in a plural already ending in “-s” with just the apostrophe): “the horse’s mouth”; “the books’ covers.” One can also use a prepositional phrase with “of”: “the color of the car” (= “the car’s color”).   Forming the Genitive in German: Like the nominative, accusative, and dative cases, the genitive case is marked by pronouns, articles and adjective endings. In the genitive, there is no distinction between a “der-word” and an “ein-word.”¹ As a rule, one-syllable nouns take an “-es” in the masculine or neuter (des Mannes), although colloquial speech will sometime add just -s. Multi-syllabic ones take just “-s”:(des Computers):  

Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
des roten Stuhles	der neuen Lampe	des alten Buches	der roten Stühle
roten Stuhles	neuer Lampe	alten Buches	alter Bücher

Note that the possessive adjectives (mein, dein, sein, ihr, etc.) are not genitive in and of themselves. Nor is the interrogative wessen (= “whose”). As in the accusative and dative cases, the so-called weak masculine nouns take an “-n” or “-en” in the genitive. For example:  

nom. acc. dat. gen.	der Mensch den Menschen dem Menschen des Menschen [human]	der Nachbar den Nachbarn dem Nachbarn des Nachbarn [neighbor]	der Herr den Herrn dem Herrn des Herrn [lord; gentleman]	der Held den Helden dem Helden des Helden [hero]
nom. acc. dat. gen.	der Bote den Boten dem Boten des Boten [messenger]	der Kunde den Kunden dem Kunden des Kunden [customer]	der Junge den Jungen dem Jungen des Jungen [boy]	der Experte den Experten dem Experten des Experten [expert]
nom. acc. dat. gen.	der Jude den Juden dem Juden des Juden [Jew]	der Russe den Russen dem Russen des Russen [Russian]	der Kollege den Kollegen dem Kollegen des Kollegen [colleague]	der Riese den Riesen dem Riesen des Riesen [giant]

Other endings of weak nouns are “-ant,” “-arch,” “-ege,” “-ent,” “-ist,” “-oge,” “-om,” “-oph,” and “-ot.” Some examples:  

der Buddist [Buddhist]	der Katholik [Catholic]	der Protestant [Protestant]	der Pilot [pilot]
der Student [student]	der Komödiant [comedian]	der Astronom [astronomer]	der Patriarch [patriarch]
der Philosoph [philosopher]	der Fotograf [photographer]	der Enthusiast [enthusiast]	der Anthropologe [anthropologist]

Again: note that all of these nouns are masculine. Furthermore, their plural forms are the same as their accusative, dative, and genitive singular forms: e.g., den Studenten, dem Studenten, des Studenten; [plural:] die Studenten, den Studenten, der Studenten.(“Herr” is an exception: den Herrn, dem Herrn, des Herrn; [plural:] die Herren, den Herren, der Herren). Typically, dictionaries identify weak nouns by giving not only the plural but also the weak ending: “der Bauer (-n, -n) farmer, peasant.” The first ending that is cited is that of the genitive case. With weak nouns the accusative and the dative are usually identical with the genitive – but not always. A few weak nouns add “-ns,” for example:  

nom. acc. dat. gen.

der Glaube den Glauben dem Glauben des Glaubens [belief]

der Wille den Willen dem Willen des Willens [will]

der Gedanke den Gedanken dem Gedanken des Gedankens [thought]

der Name den Namen dem Namen des Namens [name]

One neuter noun is also weak in the dative and takes an “-ens” in the genitive:  

nom. acc. dat. gen.

das Herz das Herz dem Herzen des Herzens [heart]

  While the Latin accusative and dative forms of Jesus Christus (Jesum Christum, Jeso Christo) are not used in modern German, the genitive is: Jesu Christi. The genitive personal pronouns are rare nowadays, but they do exist (some further examples of their use can be found below):  

meiner = (of) me	unser = (of) us
deiner = (of) you	eurer = (of) y’all
	Ihrer = (of) you
seiner = (of) him ihrer = (of) her seiner  = (of) it	ihrer = (of) them

The demonstrative pronoun, on the other hand, is commonly employed:  

dessen = (of) him/it (masc.) derer = (of) her/it (fem.) dessen  = (of) it (neut.)

derer = (of) them

 

Wir danken im Namen derer, die in Nöte geraten sind.	We give thanks in the name of those who have come into hardship.
Meine Brüder und deren Kinder sind schon angekommen.	My brothers and their children have already arrived.

In ambiguous situations, the demonstrative possessive pronoun points to the nearest preceding (i.e. the latter) noun:  

Pauls Sohn und dessen Freunde haben Hunger.	Paul’s son and (Paul’s) son’s friends are hungry.
	[not: Paul’s son and (Paul’s) friends are hungry].

When such a pronoun depends on a preceding noun, desselben or derselben can be employed:  

Das Mikroskop, Theorie und Anwendung desselben.	The Microscope: its Theory and Use [book title]
Die meisten Glaubenslehrer verteidigen ihre Sätze nicht, weil sie von der Wahrheit derselben überzeugt sind, sondern weil sie diese Wahrheit einmal behauptet haben.	Most doctrinal theologians defend their propositions, not because they are convinced of the truth of them, but because they have at one point asserted that truth. [aphorism by G. C. Lichtenberg]

Further pronoun examples can be found below.

	[There is room in this subway car for] 2 bicycles. No bringing [a bike] along when this car is traveling at the front of the train.

Using the Genitive Case in German: Germans will often assert that the genitive is disappearing from the language. It is certainly used less than one or two centuries ago, but it still occupies an important position. Primarily, the genitive designates a relationship between two nouns in which one of them belongs to the other. The former can be in any case, but the latter is in the genitive:  

Was ist die Telefonnummer deiner schönen Kusine?	What is your beautiful cousin’s phone number?
Sie hat den Brief ihres Vaters gar nicht gesehen.	She never saw her father’s letter.
Das Bild deiner Frau ist besonders gut.	Your wife’s picture is particularly good.
Der Motor dieses Autos ist viel zu klein.	This car’s engine is much too small.
Die größte Liebe aller deutschen Männer ist Fußball.	The greatest love of all German men is soccer.
Das Dach des Hauses war unbeschädigt.	The roof of the house was undamaged.

 

	Success is the sum of correct decisions

  Note that the genitive noun comes second. The opposite sounds either archaic or poetic:  

“Das also war des Pudels Kern!” [Goethes Faust]

So that was the poodle’s core!

Proper names in the genitive do precede the noun, however. If the name already ends in “-s” or “-z,” then an apostrophe is added:²  

Was hast du mit Roberts altem Computer gemacht?	What did you do with Robert’s old computer?
Veronikas neuer Freund ist schön.	Veronika’s new boyfriend is handsome.
Heinz’ Hut ist wirklich hässlich.	Heinz’s hat is really ugly.

  In colloquial speech Germans often use the preposition von (with the dative, of course) instead of the genitive:  

Ist das der Freund von deinem Bruder?	Is that your brother’s friend?
Wir suchen das Haus von seiner Mutter.	We’re looking for his mother’s house.

 

The Dative is the Death of the Genitive. A Guide through the Labyrinth of the German Language [book by Bastian Sick] This construction with “von” is always used if there is no article to mark the genitive:   Er ist ein Freund von mir. He’s a friend of mine. Das Abstellen von Farhrädern ist verboten. The parking of bicycles is forbidden. Uneducated Germans sometimes use the dative and a possessive adjective to create a genitive effect: Bist du dem Mann seine Frau?  Are you the man’s wife? The genitive is used to indicate an indefinite day or part of the day:   Eines Tages sollten wir das machen. Some day we ought do that. Eines Morgens hat er vergessen, sich die Schuhe anzuziehen. One morning he forgot to put his shoes on. Eines Sonntags gehen wir in die Kirche. Some Sunday we’ll go to church. Although Nacht is feminine, it here – and only here – assumes an analogous structure: Sie isteines Nachts weggelaufen. She ran away one night. “I go to Block House [a chain of steak houses] only because of the salad.” “That’s what they all say.” Prepositions that take the genitive: A number of prepositions take a genitive object. The most common are statt and anstatt [instead of], trotz [in spite of],wegen [because of] and während [during]. In normal speech, German often use the dative after trotz and wegen.The grammar-police find that appalling, but in fact the dative is actually the older form.   Statt eines Regenmantels trägt er einen Schirm. Instead of a raincoat he carries an umbrella. Trotz der Kälte wollen wir schwimmen gehen. Despite the cold we want to go swimming. Wegen der Arbeit meines Vaters mussten wir oft umziehen. Because of my father’s work we often had to move. Wir machen alles des Kindes wegen. We’re doing everything on account of the child. Während des Sommers wohnt er bei seinen Großeltern. During the summer he lives with his grandparents. When just a masculine or neuter noun follows the preposition, there is no genitive “-s”:   Anstatt Fleisch isst sie Tofu. Instead of meat she eats tofu. Note also:   Er entschuldigte sich immer wieder wegen seines schlechten Deutsch. He apologized repeatedly on account of his bad German. Trotz ihres guten Französisch konnte sie nichts verstehen. In spite of her good French she couldn’t understand a thing. Less frequently used are außerhalb [outside of], innerhalb [inside of], oberhalb [above], unterhalb [beneath], diesseits [on this side of], and jenseits [on the other side of]:   Sie wohnen außerhalb der Stadt. They live outside the city. Nur ein Spieler darf innerhalb dieses Kreises stehen. Only one player is allowed to stand inside this circle. Oberhalb dieser Linie gibt es ein paar Kratzer. Above this line there are a couple of scratches. Die Leber sitzt unterhalb der Lunge. The liver is beneath the lung. Diesseits der Grenze spricht man Deutsch, aber jenseits spricht man Holländisch. On this side of the border German is spoken, but on the other side they speak Dutch.   The grand race of the lowest prices. George O. Curme’s Grammar of the German Language (New York: Macmillan, 1922) lists a total of 123 prepositions that take the genitive (p. 357), but most are very rare or confined to legal language. They include anlässlich [on the occasion of], angesichts [in the face of; in view of],infolge [as a result of; owing to], ungeachtet [despite; notwithstanding], etc. Genitive prepositions do not form “da-” compounds. Instead we use genitive demonstrative pronouns, getting structures like während dessen [in the meantime], statt dessen [instead of that], and trotz dessen [despite that] – written as one or two words. There is a special form of wegen:   Wir gehen seinetwegen zu Fuß. We’re going on foot on account of him (for his sake). Ich mache es ihretwegen. I’m doing it on account of her (for her sake). Kaufen Sie das nicht meinetwegen. Don’t buy that for my sake. Meinetwegen könnt ihr es verkaufen. As far as I’m concerned (for all I care), you can sell it. Verbs that take the genitive: Quite a few verbs once took a genitive object, but over time they have switched to the accusative. One example is vergessen, although the name of the flower Vergissmeinnicht (forget-me-not) remains. Some verbs officially still take the genitive, although many native speakers will use the accusative instead. It is with such formal – some would say stilted – German that you might encounter genitive pronouns:   Die Angst bemächtigte sich seiner. Fear seized him. Wir bedürfen Ihrer Hilfe. We require your assistance. Man muss unter 16 sein, um sich eines VCRs zu bedienen. You have to be under 16 to operate a VCR. Ich erfreue mich seiner Anwesenheit. I enjoy his presence. Wir harren ihrer Ankunft. We patiently await her arrival. Other genitive constructions: Some predicate adjectives are also associated with the genitive:   Er ist seiner Beliebtheit sehr gewiss. He’s very certain of his popularity. Ich bin mir dessen bewusst. I’m aware of that. Ach ich bin des Treibens müde! [aus Goethes “Wandrers Nachtlied”] Oh, I’m weary of this restless activity Sie ist des Mordes schuldig. She is guilty of murder. Er ist ihrer nicht wert. He’s not worthy of her. Certain noun phrases in the genitive act like prepositional phrases:   Er fährt immer erster Klasse. He always travels first class. Sie ist meine Cousine ersten Grades. She’s my first cousin. Wir sind heute guter Laune. We’re in a good mood today Sie geht guten Mutes nach Hause. She goes home in good spirits. Er arbeitet festen Glaubens dafür. He works for that with a firm faith. Meines Erachtens ist das nicht nötig. In my opinion that’s not necessary. Meines Wissens ist nichts übrig geblieben. As far as I know, nothing was left over. Sie behauptet das allen Ernstes. She claims that in all seriousness Du bist heute guter Dinge. You’re in a cheerful mood today. Wir sind unverrichteter Dinge zurückgekehrt. We returned having accomplished nothing. Junk disposal of all kinds bulky refuse / plastic, synthetics and scrap metal /clearing out of cellars, attics, and apartments / demolition work / moving service, mini-transport / free inspection / short notice possible Painting jobs. Fast, clean, and reasonably priced.   1 The “ein-words” are ein, kein, and the possessive pronouns: mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, Ihr, ihr. The so-called “der-words” are the articles der, die, das; dies-, jed-, jen-, manch-, solch-, welch-. Increasingly, Germans are putting apostrophes onto all names, especially in commercial enterprises. This option is unavailable to non-native speakers. Fränky’s Flowers.

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Plural in German

For English speakers, the plural in German is exasperating. We are happy to just add a simple “–s”. In German it’s much more complicated. Get into fighting mode; we think you’ll need to. Here’s our explanation:

Summary of the most common plurals

Because this subject is pretty complicated, we’ve made a small table with the most common suffixes for making the plural depending on the gender: Some nouns do not have a plural form in German:

• Names of countries, rivers, cities:

  Example	Meaning
  die Türkei	Turkey
  die Wolga	the Volga
  München	Munich

• Abstract concepts:

  Example	Meaning
  die Zweisprachigkeit	bilingualism
  die Abgespanntheit	exhaustion
  die Zuvorkommenheit	courtesy
  die Wut	rage

General rules that are applicable to all genders

Constructing the plural with “-s”

Just like in English it’s normal to construct the plural with the ending “–s”. In German, however, only a few adopted foreign words have this plural.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
die Kamara	die Kamaras	camera
der Gorilla	die Gorillas	gorilla
das Auto	die Autos	car

The plural for feminine nouns

The construction of the plural for feminine nouns is the easiest in German: The possibilities are: The large majority of feminine nouns that do not end in “-e” make their plural with “-en”:Adding “-en”

Noun	Plural	Meaning
die Datei	die Dateien	file
die Wohnung	die Wohnungen	apartment
die Fabrik	die Fabriken	factory

The following endings which guarantee that the noun is feminine should be emphasized: “-ei”, “-ung”, “-heit”, “-keit”, “-ion”, “-schaft”, “-ik”, “-eur”, “-enz”, “-tät”, “-itis”, “-sis”.

Adding “-n”

If a feminine noun ends in “-e”, its plural is always constructed with “-n” (Note: Not all nouns ending with “-e” are feminine. For example: der Käse)

Noun	Plural	Meaning
die Lampe	die Lampen	lamp
die Fantasie	die Fantasien	fantasy
die Narzisse	die Narzissen	narcissus

The following endings guarantee that the noun is feminine and their plural is with “-n” : -ie , -ade, -age, -ere, -ine, -isse, -ive, -se,

Adding “-nen”

The feminine nouns that end in “-in” make their plural with “-nen”.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
die Chefin	die Chefinnen	boss

Adding [Umlaut] + “-e”

A few feminine nouns add [Umlaut] + “-e”.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
die Kraft	die Kräfte	force
die Angst	die Ängste	fear

Plural: “-a” ➜ “-en”

Some words not from German origin ending in “-a” make their plural with “-en”

Noun	Plural	Meaning
die Firma	die Firmen	company
die Skala	die Skalen	scale

Plural: “-sis” ➜ “-sen”

Nouns ending in “-sis” construct their plural with “-sen”

Noun	Plural	Meaning
die Analysis	die Analysen	analysis

Plural: “-xis” ➜ “-xien”

The plural for nouns ending with “-xis” are constructed with “-xien”

Noun	Plural	Meaning
die Galaxis	die Galaxien	galaxy

Plural: “-itis”➜ “-iden”

The feminine nouns ending with “-itis” construct their plural with -den

Noun	Plural	Meaning
die Cellulitis	die Cellulitiden	cellulitis

Plural: “-nis” ➜ “-nisse”

Feminine nouns ending in “-nis” construct their plural by adding the ending “-se”

Noun	Plural	Meaning
die Befugnis	die Befugnisse	authorization

Plural: “-aus” ➜ “-äuse”

Feminine nouns ending with “-aus” add an Umlaut over the “a” and add the ending “e”.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
die Maus	die Mäuse	mouse

Adding [Umlaut]

There are two feminine nouns that construct their plural with Umlaut: “Mutter” and “Tochter”.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
die Mutter	die Mütter	mother
die Tochter	die Töchter	daughter

Adding [Umlaut] + “-en”

A plural form that is not very common is the [Umlaut] + “–en” that practically is used only with the word “Werkstatt”

Noun	Plural	Meaning
die Werkstatt	die Werkstätten	workshop

Plural for masculine nouns

Many masculine nouns form their plural with “-e”.

The endings that guarantee the use of this plural are:

“-ich”, “-ig”, “-ling”, “-är” (only those coming from French)

and “-eur”.Adding “-e”

Noun	Plural	Meaning
der Teppich	die Teppiche	carpet
der König	die Könige	king
der Schmetterling	die Schmetterlinge	butterfly
der Veterinär	die Veterinäre	veterinarian
der Friseur	die Friseure	barber

Adding [Umlaut] + “-e”

Some nouns form the plural with [Umlaut] + “-e”. We emphasize the following:

Noun	Plural	Meaning
der Platz	die Plätze	seat
der Kuss	die Küsse	kiss
der Hals	die Hälse	neck
der Arzt	die Ärzte	doctor
der Fluss	die Flüsse	river

Not adding any ending

Many masculine nouns ending with “-er” and “-el” do not add any ending.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
der Schüler	die Schüler	student
der Würfel	die Würfel	dice

Adding [Umlaut]

Many masculine nouns ending with “-er” and “-el” add just an Umlaut.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
der Vater	die Väter	father
der Mantel	die Mäntel	overcoat

Adding “-n” [according to the N-Deklination]

Many masculine nouns ending with “-e” are declined according the “N-Deklination”.

	Singular	Plural
Nominative	der Kunde	die Kunden
Accusative	den Kunden	die Kunden
Dative	dem Kunden	den Kunden
Genitive	des Kunden	der Kunden

Examples of nouns that follow the “N-Deklination”:

Noun	Plural	Meaning
der Name	die Namen	name
der Buchstabe	die Buchstaben	letter

There are many exceptions that do not follow the “N-Deklination” such as:

Noun	Plural	Meaning
der Käse	die Käse	cheese
der See	die Seen	lake

Advice: If you have to take a German test, learn the gender and plural of “der Käse” as it’s one of professors’ favorite words.

Adding “-en” [according to the N-Deklination]

Words with a Greek or Latin ending in “-at”, “-ant”, “-ent” and “–ist” are declined according to the “N-Deklination”.

	Singular	Plural
Nominative	der Pianist	die Pianisten
Accusative	den Pianisten	die Pianisten
Dative	dem Pianisten	den Pianisten
Genitive	des Pianisten	der Pianisten

Examples of nouns that follow the “N-Deklination”:

Noun	Plural	Meaning
der Student	die Studenten	student
der Soldat	die Soldaten	soldier
der Liferant	die Liferanten	supplier
der Violinist	die Violinisten	violinist

Adding “-en” [no “N-Deklination”]

Although it is not very common, there are also nouns that construct the plural with “-en” without “N-Deklination”.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
der Staat	die Staaten	state
der Doktor	die Doktoren	doctor

Adding “-er”

Very few masculine nouns construct the plural with “-er”. It is a plural construction that is much more common with neuter nouns.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
der Leib	die Leiber	body

Adding [Umlaut] + “-er”

A few masculine nouns’ plural form is made with [Umlaut] + “-er”.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
der Mann	die Männer	man
der Gott	die Götter	God

Adding “-ten”

One the rarest masculine nouns is constructed with the suffix “-ten”

Noun	Plural	Meaning
der Anbau	die Anbauten	annex

Plural: “-us” -> “-usse”

Most of the masculine nouns ending with “-us” add “-se”, meaning that an extra –s is added.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
der Zirkus	die Zirkusse	circus
der Bus	die Busse	bus

Plural: “-us” -> “-i”

There are a few masculine nouns that come from Latin and end with “us”, forming the plural with “i”

Noun	Plural	Meaning
der Modus	die Modi	mode
der Ficus	die Fici	ficus

The plural for neuter nouns

Adding “-e”

The most common plural form for neuter nouns is constructed with the ending “-e”

Noun	Plural	Meaning
das Alphabet	die Alphabete	alphabet
das Protokoll	die Protokolle	record

No ending added

Almost all of the neuter nouns ending with “-er” or “-el” or “-en”.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
das Leder	die Leder	leather
das Kabel	die Kabel	cable
das Abkommen	die Abkommen	agreement

Adding “-er”

Many neuter nouns construct the plural with “-er”.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
das Bild	die Bilder	picture
das Lied	die Lieder	song

Adding [Umlaut] + “-er”

The plural [Umlaut] + “-er” is very common with neuter nouns.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
das Fahrrad	die Fahrräder	bicycle
das Blatt	die Blätter	leaf
das Haus	die Häuser	home

Adding “-en”

A few neuter nouns add “-en” to construct the plural.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
das Bett	die Betten	bed
das Verb	die Verben	verb

Adding “-ien”

The plural formed with the suffix “-ien” is not very common.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
das Adverb	die Adverbien	the adverb
das Prinzip	die Prinzipien	the principle

Plural “-nis” ➜ “-nisse”

For nouns ending with “-nis”, a suffix, “-se”, is added (another –s is added).

Noun	Plural	Meaning
das Ergebnis	die Ergebnisse	result
das Geheimnis	die Geheimnisse	secret

Plural “-um” ➜ “-a”

A few nouns originating from Latin ending with “-um” construct their plural with “-a”.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
das Antibiotikum	die Antibiotika	antibiotic
das Analgetikum	die Analgetika	analgesic

Plural “-um” ➜ “-en”

Most nouns originating from Latin ending with “-um” construct their plural with “-en”.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
das Aquarium	die Aquarien	aquarium
das Ministerium	die Ministerien	ministry

Plural “-o” ➜ “-en”

Another rare plural form is that of the neuter nouns ending in “-o”.

Noun	Plural	Meaning
das Bankkonto	die Bankkonten	bank account

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Relative Clauses in German

The formation of “Relativsätze” explained in English, Relative pronouns “deren” and “dessen”. Relative clauses are for adding information about a noun.

Du bist der Mann, den ich liebe You are the man that I love

You should have the following in mind about relative clauses in German: – the conjugated verb is placed at the end of the relative clause. – sometimes a comma is placed in front of the relative pronoun.

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are shown in this table:

	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	der	die	das	die
Accusative	den	die	das	die
Dative	dem	der	dem	denen
Genitive	dessen	deren	dessen	deren

This table is not very hard to learn because it is very similar to the one with the definite articles. The only thing that is different is the genitive and the dative plural. Surely you are asking yourself, why so many? And, how do I know which one to choose? We’ll explain that next.

Relative Pronoun Gender

The relative pronoun gender is defined by the gender of the noun that it complements. An example:

Die Frau, die das Auto hat, ist reich The woman that has the car is rich

As you see in the previous example, “Frau” is a feminine noun so the relative pronoun that follows it has to be feminine as well (die).

Types of Relative Clauses

Relative clauses can be nominative, accusative, dative or genitive. Let’s look at them all in detail because this is very important:

Nominative

The relative pronoun acts as a subject and the conjugated verb is placed at the end of the relative clause. Remember: the verb has to be conjugated in association with the relative pronoun (make sure if it is singular or plural).

Das Kind, das dort spielt, wohnt in der Schweiz The child that is playing there lives in Switzerland

Die Kinder, die dort spielen, wohnen in der Schweiz The children that are playing there live in Switzerland

Accusative

When the relative pronoun is accusative, the pronoun is placed in the first position and therefore the subject is moved to the second position and, as always, the conjugated verb goes to the end of the relative clause:

Der Roman, den ich lesen will, ist “El Quijote” The novel that I want to read is “El Quijote”

Das Buch, das ich lesen will, ist “El Quijote” The book that I want to read is “El Quijote”

Dative

The dative and accusative work the same with the exception of the relative pronoun. This time, however, we’ve provided you with an example that is a bit more difficult. Notice that the relative pronoun might be accompanied by a preposition as well:

Der Kunde, mit dem ich gerade gesprochen habe, ist Deutscher The client that I just spoke to is German (most likely a male customer but not definitively)

Die Kundin, mit der ich gerade gesprochen habe, ist Deutsche The (female) client that I just spoke to is German

Genitive

The relative pronouns “deren” and “dessen” are translated as “whose”, its or their:

Die Nachbarin, deren Kind in meiner Klasse war, ist krank The neighbor whose child was in my class is sick

Der Nachbar, dessen Kind in meiner Klasse war, ist krank The neighbor whose child was in my class is sick

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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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German Feminine Noun Gender

There are three genders in German: Masculine, feminine and neuter. Usually, the gender of a noun is determined by its ending. The endings for the most important feminine nouns are:

Frequency	Ending
Very common	-ei	-ung	-in
	-heit	-keit	-ion
Common	-ie	-schaft	-elle
	-ik	-ur	-ade
Rare	-age,	-ette	-enz
	-ere	-ine	-isse
	-tät	-itis	-ive
	-se	-sis

Keep in mind that there are exceptions. Unfortunately, there are many other feminine nouns that have different endings than these and whose gender is not easy to identify.

Gender of nouns ending with “-ei”

– How often this ending is seen: Very often – Plural with “-en” Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Polizei	police
die Abtei	abbey
die Konditorei	confectionery
die Leckerei	delicacy
die Datei	file

Exceptions:

Exception	Meaning
der Brei	mash
der Schrei	scream
der Papagei	parrot
das Ei	egg
das Einerlei	monotony
das Blei	lead

Gender of nouns ending with “-ung”

– How often this ending is seen: Very often – Plural with “-en” Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Zeitung	newspaper
die Dichtung	poetry
die Empfehlung	recommendation
die Erfahrung	experience

Exceptions:

Exception	Meaning
der Schwung	momentum
der Sprung	jump

Gender of nouns ending with “-in”

– How often this ending is seen: Very often – Plural with “-nen” NOTE: Nouns ending with “-in” only are feminine if they refer to a woman. Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Lehrerin	female professor
die Darstellerin	actress
die Eignerin	female owner
die Australierin	Australian woman
die Chefin	female boss

Exceptions: All diminutives ending with “-lein” are neuter: das Madlein (the maiden)

Gender of nouns ending with -heit

– How often this ending is seen: Very often – Plural with “-en” Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Freiheit	freedom
die Neuheit	novelty
die Sicherheit	safety
die Trägheit	laziness

Gender of nouns ending with “-keit”

– How often this ending is seen: Very often – Plural with “-en” Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Gefährlichkeit	dangerousness
die Höflichkeit	politeness
die Langsamkeit	slowness
die Häufigkeit	frequency

Gender of nouns ending with “-ion”

– How often this ending is seen: Very often – Plural with “-en” Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Produktion	production
die Funktion	function
die Kanalisation	drainage
die Nation	nation

Gender of nouns ending with “-ie”

– How often this ending is seen: Very often – Plural with “-n” – Many come from Latin or Greek Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Geografie	geography
die Garantie	guarantee
die Fantasie	fantasy
die Galerie	gallery
die Astronomie	astronomy

Exceptions: der Zombie (zombie), der Yuppie (yuppie), der Unfreie (slave), der Laie (layman)

Gender of nouns ending with -schaft

– How often this ending is seen: Media – Plural with “-en” Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Freundschaft	friendship
die Gemeinschaft	community
die Wirtschaft	economy
die Wissenschaft	science

Words ending with “-elle”

– How often this ending is seen: Media – Plural with “-n” – From Italian or French Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Welle	wave
die Zelle	cell
die Zitadelle	citadel
die Quelle	source
die Tabelle	table

Exceptions: der Junggeselle (single), der Geselle (journeyman)

Gender of nouns ending with “-ik”

– How often this ending is seen: Media – Plural with “-en” – Many are from Greek or Latin Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Fabrik	factory
die Musik	music
die Technik	technique
die Statistik	statistics
die Politik	politics

Exceptions: der Atlantik (Atlantic), der Streik (strike)

Gender of nouns ending with “-ur”

– How often this ending is seen: Media – Plural with “-en” – Many of them are from Latin Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Kultur	culture
die Natur	nature
die Diktatur	dictatorship
die Agentur	agency

Exceptions:

• Professions: der Chauffeur (driver), der Ingenieur (engineer), der Regisseur (director), etc.
• References to male people: der Amateur (amateur), der Voyeur (voyeur), etc.
• In addition: das Futur (future), das Abitur (exam at end of high school)

Gender of nouns ending with “-ade”

– How often this ending is seen: seldom – Plural with “-n” Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Marmelade	marmalade
die Limonade	lemonade
die Schokolade	chocolate
die Schublade	drawer

Gender of nouns ending with “-age”

– How often this ending is seen: Seldom – Plural with “-n” Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Eremitage	hermitage
die Etage	floor
die Frage	question
die Bandage	bandage

Gender of nouns ending with “-ette”

– How often this ending is seen: Seldom – Plural with “-n” – Many are from French Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Diskette	disk
die Etikette	label
die Zigarette	cigarette
die Marionette	marionette
die Kassette	cassette

Gender of nouns ending with “-enz”

– How often this ending is seen: Seldom – Plural with “-en” – Many come from Latin or Greek Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Konferenz	conference
die Frequenz	frequency
die Transparenz	transparency
die Turbulenz	turbulence
die Tendenz	tendency

Gender of nouns ending with “-ere”

– How often this ending is seen: Seldom – Plural with “-n” – Many of them are from Italian or French. Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Schere	scissors
die Portiere	curtain
die Niere	kidney
die Misere	misery

Exceptions: der Karabiniere (carbineer), der Gondoliere (gondolier), das Ampere (ampere)

Nouns ending with “-ine”

– How often this ending is seen: Seldom – Plural with “-n” – Many come from Latin or Greek Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Violine	violin
die Vakzine	vaccination
die Maschine	machine
die Ruine	ruin
die Leine	rope

Exceptions: der Beduine (bedouin)

Nouns ending with “-isse”

– How often this ending is seen: Seldom – Plural with “-n” – Many of them are from Latin or Greek Examples: – How often this ending is seen: Seldom

Example	Meaning
die Narzisse	narcissus
die Prämisse	premise
die Kulisse	frame
die Abzisse	abscissa

Gender of nouns ending with “-tät”

– How often this ending is seen: Seldom – Plural with “-en” – Many come from Latin or Greek Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Universität	university
die Pubertät	puberty
die Naivität	naivety
die Parität	parity
die Priorität	priority

Gender of nouns ending with “-itis”

– How often this ending is seen: Seldom – Plural “-itis ➜ -iden ” – They come from Greek and are diseases (-itis means inflammation) Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Bronchitis	bronchitis
die Cellulitis	cellulitis
die Rachitis	rickets
die Hepatitis	hepatitis

Nouns ending with -ive

– How often this ending is seen: Seldom – Plural with “-n” Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Lokomotive	locomotive
die Olive	olive
die Perspektive	perspective
die Alternative	alternative

Gender of nouns ending with “-se”

– How often this ending is seen: Seldom – Plural with “-n” Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Rose	rose
die Zuckerdose	sugar bowl
die Osmose	osmosis
die Badehose	swimming trunks

Gender of nouns ending with “-sis”

– How often this ending is seen: Seldom – Plural “-sis ➜ -sen ” Examples:

Example	Meaning
die Basis	basis
die Dosis	dose
die Genesis	genesis

Exception: das Chassis (chassis)]]>

Endings that mark the masculine gender

Usually, the noun gender is determined by the noun’s ending. The endings that mark the masculine gender in order of most importance are: -ich, -ist, -or, -ig, -ling, -ismus, -ant, -är, -eur, -iker and -ps

Words ending with “-ich”

– How often this ending is seen: Average – Plural with “-e” Examples:

Example	Meaning
der Teppich	carpet
der Sittich	parakeet
der Abgleich	adjustment
der Bereich	range
der Teich	pond

Exception: das Reich (kingdom)

Words ending with “-ist”

– How often this ending is seen: Average – Plural with “-en” – Many come from Latin or Greek Examples:

Example	Meaning
der Artist	artist
der Egoist	egoist
der Feminist	feminist
der Herzspezialist	cardiologist
der Komponist	composer

Words ending with “-or”

– How often this ending is seen: Average – Plural: The majority end with “-en” and some with “-e” – Many come from Latin Examples:

Example	Meaning
der Ventilator	fan
der Motor	motor
der Faktor	factor
der Marmor	marble

Exceptions: das Fluor (Fluorine), das Chlor (chlorine), das Tor (gate), das Labor (laboratory), das Dekor(decoration)

Words ending with “-ig”

– How often this ending is seen: Less often – Plural with “-e” Examples:

Example	Meaning
der König	king
der Honig	honey
der Essig	vinegar
der Käfig	cage

Exception: das Reisig (brushwood)

Words ending with “-ling”

– How often this ending is seen: Less often – Plural with “-e” Examples:

Example	Meaning
der Schmetterling	butterfly
der Frühling	spring
der Lehrling	apprentice
der Zwilling	twin

Exceptions: das Bowling, die Reling (railing)

Words ending with “-ismus”

– How often this ending is seen: Less often – The plural follows this construction even though many nouns lack a plural form: “-ismus” ➜ “-ismen” – Many come from Latin or Greek Examples:

Example	Meaning
der Optimismus	optimism
der Magnetismus	magnetism
der Expressionismus	expressionism
der Feudalismus	feudalism
der Kapitalismus	capitalism

Words ending with “-ant”

– How often this ending is seen: Less often -Plural with “-en” – Most words ending with “-ant”, especially if they come from Latin Examples:

Example	Meaning
der Diamant	diamond
der Fabrikant	manufacturer
der Elefant	elephant
der Lieferant	supplier

Exceptions: das Restaurant, die Want (shroud)

Words ending with “-är”

– How often this ending is seen: Not often – Most words ending with “-är” are masculine, especially if they are from French – The plural can be formed with “-e” (for words from French such as der Veterinär ➜ die Veterinäre) or with “-en” (der Bär ➜ die Bären) Examples:

Example	Meaning
der Bär	bear
der Veterinär	veterinarian
der Aktionär	stockholder
der Sekretär	secretary

Exceptions: das Militär (military), das Quartär (quartenary)

Words ending with “-eur”

– How often this ending is seen: Not often – Plural with “-e” [der Friseur ➜ die Friseure] – Many of them come from French Examples:

Example	Meaning
der Friseur	hairdresser
der Amateur	amateur
der Ingenieur	engineer

Words ending with “-iker”

– How often this ending is seen: Not often – No ending is added to form the plural [der Physiker ➜ die Physiker] – They come from Latin or Greek Examples:

Example	Meaning
der Alkoholiker	alcoholic
der Informatiker	computer scientist
der Physiker	physicist
der Politiker	politician

Words ending with “-ps”

– How often this ending is seen: Seldom – Plural with “-e” (der Schlips ➜ die Schlipse) but sometimes an “Umlaut” is added to the last vowel of the world to make the plural (der Schnaps ➜ die Schnäpse) Examples:

Example	Meaning
der Schlips	tie
der Gips	cast
der Schnaps	schnaps
der Klaps	slap

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German declension

Nominative

The nominative is used if

• The word is isolated:

Name* name

*(“Name” is nominative)

• If the word makes up part of the subject:

Mein Name hat 5 Buchstaben* My name has five letters

*(“Mein Name” has the function of a subject and is declined in the nominative)

• If the word forms part of the object of the predicate and the sentence is formed with the copulative verb (sein, werden or bleiben)*

María ist mein Name* Maria is my name

*(“Ist” is part the verb “sein” (copulative) and therefore the object is declined in nominative)

Accusative

Accusative is used if:

• If the word is a direct object in English, it will be accusative in 90% of the cases in German.

Ich sagte meinen Namen* I said my name

*(“sagte” is from the verb “sagen”, which is a verb that is not copulative. For that reason, it is accusative) Depending on the verb, the objects can be accusative, dative or with a preposition. Fortunately, most cases coincide with English ones all of the time. Be careful!

• If it follows a preposition that is accusative (bis, durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, wider) or comes after aWechselpräposition that indicates movement.

Ich gehe in die Schule* I am going to school

*(“die Schule” is declined in accusative because it follows the preposition “in” and going which indicates movement)

Dative

• If the word is part of an Indirect Object in English, it will be dative in German in some 90% of the cases.

Ich schenke dir ein Heft* I give you a notebook

*(“ein Heft” (the thing that is given) is accusative and whom it is given to is dative)  

• If it follows a preposition that is dative: “ab”, “aus”, “außer”, “bei”, “entgegen”, “entsprechend”, “mit”, “nach”, “seit”, von, zu or a Wechselpräposition if it does not indicate movement.

Genitive

• If the word is after the word “of” in English

Die Zukunft des Buches ist schwer* The future of the book is difficult

*(In English genitive’s expressed with “of” or by adding an apostrophe to show possession. “Des Buches” is translated as “of the book” or “the book’s”)

• If it follows a preposition that is Genitive (anstatt, aufgrund, außerhalb, dank, statt, während, wegen)

The genitive is not used as often by Germans as the three other previous cases. Often, a noun object is made with the preposition “von” + Dative and the genitive preposition are sometimes used incorrectly as if they were dative. You have to keep in mind that one word can fit the rules of different cases simultaneously. For example, it can be a subject while being a part of a noun object and follow a preposition that is dative. Which case would it be then? Nominative because it’s the subject, Genitive, because it’s the noun object or dative because it is after a preposition? The answer is that the priorities are in this order:

1. Following a preposition (governing with Accusative, Dative or Genitive)
2. Being part of a genitive object (Genitive)
3. The rest of the rules

Complete Declension Tables

Noun Declension

There are 2 types of noun declension: Regular and N-declension.

Regular declension

Applicable to most nouns. Example: das Gas (the gas)

	Singular		Plural
	Article	Noun	Article	Noun
Nominative	das	Gas	die	Gase
Accusative	das	Gas	die	Gase
Dative	dem	Gas	den	Gasen
Genitive	des	Gases	der	Gase

N-declension Applicable to some masculine nouns and a few neuter ones. Example: der Name (the name)

	Singular		Plural
	Article	Noun	Article	Noun
Nominative	der	Name	die	Namen
Accusative	den	Namen	die	Namen
Dative	dem	Namen	den	Namen
Genitive	des	Namens	der	Namen

Weak Nouns (the “N-Declension”)

Declension of Adjectives

There are three types of declension for adjectives: Weak, mixed and strong.

Weak declension of Adjectives

The most common case for weak declension is the construction: (definite article) + (adjective with weak declension) + (Noun)

Das schöne Sofa The beautiful sofa

Mixed declension of Adjectives

The most common mixed declension is the structure: (indefinite article) + (adjective with mixed declension) + (Noun)

Ein schönes Sofa A beautiful sofa

Strong declension of adjectives

The most common case of strong declension is: (strong declension of adjective without article) + (Noun)

Schönes Sofa Beautiful sofa

Adjective Functions

Adjectives can have 3 functions in a sentence and only the attributive function is declined. Let’s see the three functions to distinguish them from one another:

• Attributive (adjective accompanying a noun).

  Der gute Mann arbeitet viel

  [DECLINED]Often, it is understood which noun is being referred to so the adjective appears without the noun but it is still declined

  Er mag den roten Apfel, ich mag den gelben

  (apple is omitted in the second clause)
• Predicative (the adjective is in a sentence with the copulative verbs [ sein,  bleiben and  werden] and is not accompanied by a noun)

  Der Mann ist gut[NOT DECLINED]

• Adverbial (the adjective behaves like an adverb)

  Sie singt gut[NOT DECLINED]

Adjective declension

As we have stated, there are 3 types of declension, depending on the the particle that comes before the adjective:

• Weak declension (the definite article + adjective).

  Das schöne Sofa The beautiful sofa

• Mixed declension(indefinite article + adjective).

  Ein schönes Sofa A beautiful sofa

• Strong declination (no article + adjective).➜

  Schönes Sofa Beautiful sofa

Weak declension

The weak declension is used when:

• the definite articles (der, die, das)

or the pronouns:

• dieser (this)
• jener (that)
• derjenige (that one)
• derselbe (the same)
• welcher (which)

or declined indicators of quantity:

• jeder (every)
• mancher (some)
• alle (all)

come before the adjective and the adjective before the noun.

This is called weak declension because the case marker is not carried by the adjective but rather particle before it.

Weak declension	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	der gute Mann	die gute Frau	das gute Kind	die guten Männer/Frauen/Kinder
Accusative	den guten Mann	die gute Frau	das gute Kind	die guten Männer/Frauen/Kinder
Dative	dem guten Mann(e)	der guten Frau	dem guten Kind(e)	den guten Männern/Frauen/Kindern
Genitive	des guten Mannes	der guten Frau	des guten Kindes	der guten Männer/Frauen/Kinder

If we look closely, we see that you just add “-e” or “-en”.

Mixed declension

Mixed declension is used when:

• the indefinite articles (ein,…)
• the possessive pronouns (mein, …)
• kein, … (none)

come before the adjective and the adjective before the noun.

Mixed declension	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	ein guter Mann	eine gute Frau	ein gutes Kind	keine guten Männer/Frauen/Kinder
Accusative	einen guten Mann	eine gute Frau	ein gutes Kind	keine guten Männer/Frauen/Kinder
Dative	einem guten Mann(e)	einer guten Frau	einem guten Kind(e)	keinen guten Männern/Frauen/Kindern
Genitive	eines guten Mannes	einer guten Frau	eines guten Kindes	keiner guten Männer/Frauen/Kinder

Declension Tables

Strong declension

The strong declension is used when nothing comes before the adjective. But there are also other cases such as when the adjective is preceded by any of the following pronouns:

• dergleichen, … (the same)
• derlei, … (such)
• dessen, deren (whose)
• wessen (whose)
• manch (some)
• etliche mehrere (a few more)
• etwas (something)
• ein bisschen (a bit)
• ein wenig (a little)
• ein paar (a couple)

or by:

• wie viel (how much)
• viel (a lot)
• wenig (little)

or declined indicators of quantity that are only used in the plural:

• viele (many)
• wenige (few)
• einige (some)

Strong declension	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	guter Mann	gute Frau	gutes Kind	gute Männer/Frauen/Kinder
Accusative	guten Mann	gute Frau	gutes Kind	gute Männer/Frauen/Kinder
Dative	gutem Mann(e)	guter Frau	gutem Kind(e)	guten Männern/ Frauen/Kindern
Genitive	guten Mannes	guter Frau	guten Kindes	guter Männer/ Frauen/Kinder

Declension of 2 or more consecutive adjectives

If two or more consecutive adjectives are in a sentence, they will be declined with the same type of declension:

Wir möchten in einem guten japanischen Restaurant essen We would like to eat in a good Japanese Restaurant

In this example, “gut” and “japanisch” are declined with the mixed declension because the adjectives are preceded by the indefinite article (ein). “ein” is declined in dative (einem) because it is preceded by the preposition “in” (with a situational concept).

Pronoun declension

There are 3 types of declensions for pronouns: weak, mixed and strong but not all pronouns have the three declensions. If you’d like more in-depth info, we suggest that you visit: Declension of personal pronouns:

Nominative		Accusative		Dative		Genitive
ich	I	mich	me	mir	me, to me	meiner	mine
du	you	dich	you	dir	you, to you	deiner	yours
er	he	ihn	him	ihm	him, to him	seiner	his
sie	she	sie	her	ihr	her, to her	ihrer	hers
es	it	es	it	ihm	it, to it	seiner	its
wir	we	uns	us	uns	us, to us	unser	ours
ihr	you (speaking to a group)	euch	you	euch	you, to you	euer	yours
sie Sie	they you (formal)	sie Sie	them you (formal)	ihnen Ihnen	to them to you	ihrer Ihrer	theirs yours

Article declension

Definite Articles:

	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	der (the)	die (the)	das (the)	die (the)
Accusative	den	die	das	die
Dative	dem	der	dem	den
Genitive	des	der	des	der

Indefinite Articles:

	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	ein (a/an)	eine (a/an)	ein (a/an)	—
Accusative	einen	eine	ein	—
Dative	einem	einer	einem	—
Genitive	eines	einer	eines	—

Declension of cardinal numbers

The cardinal numbers are not declined with the exception of 1, 2 and 3.

Declension of 1 (eins)

• If the 1 is not followed by a noun, it is not declined and eins is always used:

Formel eins Formula one

• If the “1” is followed by a noun, usually the weak declension is used, being equivalent to the indefinite article:

Ich habe eine Lampe I have a lamp

	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	ein	eine	ein	—
Accusative	einen	eine	ein	—
Dative	einem	einer	einem	—
Genitive	eines	einer	eines	—

Declension of 2 and 3

• If the 2 or 3 are not followed by a noun, they are not declined and simply zwei and drei are used:
• If the 2 or 3 are followed by a noun, they are declined only in the genitive in the case of them not being preceded by an article:

Abstand zweier Punkte Distance of two points

	Plural
Nominative Accusative Dative	zwei / drei
Genitive	zweier / dreier

Declension of ordinal numbers

Ordinal numbers follow the adjective declension rules. An example of weak declension (given that the article “der” comes before the ordinal number in the genitive):

Die Kosten der zweiten Wohnung The expenses of the second home

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