GERMAN

 NOUNS  
 
All   German   nouns   belong   to   one   of   three  
grammatical   genders:   masculine,  
feminine,   or   neuter.   For   example:   Peter  
[Peter],   Koffer   [suitcase],   Firma  
[company],   Buch   [book]   are   also   nouns.  
Nouns   in   German   are   easy   to   identify  
because  they  are  all  capitalized.  
 
Examples  in  German:  
 
• Our  son  is  driving  to  the  city  by  car.  
• Unser  Sohn  fährt  mit  dem  Auto  in  die  
Stadt.  
 
Sohn   (son),   Auto   (car),   Stadt   (city)   are  
nouns.  
 
 
 
 
NOUNS  TYPES:  
 
Proper   nouns   are   names   of   specific  
people,  things,  locations,  or  ideas:  
 
• Karl  =Karl  
• the   United   Nations   =   die   Vereinten  
Nationen  
• Communism  =  Kommunismus  
 
Common   nouns   are   names   of   general  
'categories'   of   people,   objects,   places,   or  
concepts:  
 
• boy  =  Junge  
• organisation  =  Organisation  
 
Countable   nouns   are   names   of   anything  
that  can  be  counted:  
 
• one  suitcase  =  ein  Koffer  
• three  books  =  drei  Bücher  
 • many  thanks  =  vielen  Dank  
 
Uncountable   nouns   name   what   cannot  
be  counted:  
 
• wine  =  Wein  
• air  =  Luft  
 
Noun  Gender  
 
The   gender   is   most   easily   identified   by  
the   noun's   definite   article   in   the  
nominative   case:   der   (masculine),   die  
(feminine  and  plural),  and  das  (neuter).  
 
Masculine  Nouns  
 
• the  man  -­‐  der  Mann  
• the  table  -­‐  der  Tisch  
• the  rock  -­‐  der  Stein  
 
 
Femenine  Nouns  
 
• the  woman  -­‐  die  Frau  
• the  sun  -­‐  die  Sonne  
• the  question  -­‐  die  Frage  
 
Neuter  Nouns  
 
• the  child  -­‐  das  Kind  
• the  fire  -­‐  das  Feuer  
• the  book  -­‐  das  Buch