Understanding German Noun Declension
German noun declension (Deklination) refers to how nouns change their endings depending on their case, number, and gender. This is fundamental to German grammar.
Three declension patterns:
- Strong declension: Most masculine and neuter nouns
- Weak declension: Some masculine nouns (der Junge, der Herr)
- Mixed declension: Few nouns (das Herz, der Name)
What changes:
- Noun endings: Added to the noun stem
- Article forms: der/die/das change by case
- Adjective endings: When present, also change
Four cases affect declension:
- Nominative: Subject case (no ending usually)
- Accusative: Direct object (usually no ending)
- Dative: Indirect object (-n for plurals)
- Genitive: Possession (-s/-es for masc/neut)
Why declension matters:
- Grammatical correctness: Essential for proper German
- Clear meaning: Cases show relationships
- Natural speech: Native speakers use automatically
- Advanced proficiency: Mark intermediate/advanced level
Understanding declension is crucial for correct German grammar.
Examples
STRONG: der Mann → des Mannes → dem Mann → den Mann
WEAK: der Junge → des Jungen → dem Jungen → den Jungen
FEMININE: die Frau → der Frau → der Frau → die Frau (no noun ending changes)
PLURAL: die Männer → der Männer → den Männern → die Männer
Strong Declension Pattern
Strong declension applies to most masculine and neuter nouns:
Strong Declension Endings
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | (no ending) | der Mann, das Kind |
| Accusative | (no ending) | den Mann, das Kind |
| Dative | (no ending) | dem Mann, dem Kind |
| Genitive | -s or -es | des Mannes, des Kindes |
| Plural Dative | -n (if not already there) | den Männern, den Kindern |
Examples
MASCULINE: der Tisch → des Tisches → dem Tisch → den Tisch
NEUTER: das Buch → des Buches → dem Buch → das Buch
PLURAL: die Tische → der Tische → den Tischen → die Tische
DATIVE PLURAL: den Büchern (adds -n to plural form)
Genitive Endings: -s vs -es
Genitive endings follow specific rules:
Genitive Ending Rules
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| One syllable | Usually -es | des Mannes, des Kindes |
| Multiple syllables | Usually -s | des Lehrers, des Computers |
| Ends in -s, -ß, -x, -z | Always -es | des Hauses, des Platzes |
| Foreign words | Usually -s | des Hotels, des Restaurants |
Examples
ONE SYLLABLE: der Mann → des Mannes, das Haus → des Hauses
MULTIPLE: der Lehrer → des Lehrers, der Computer → des Computers
SIBILANT ENDING: der Platz → des Platzes, das Glas → des Glases
FOREIGN: das Hotel → des Hotels, das Restaurant → des Restaurants
Weak Declension Pattern
Weak declension applies to some masculine nouns (living beings):
Weak Declension Endings
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | (no ending) | der Junge, der Herr |
| Accusative | -n or -en | den Jungen, den Herrn |
| Dative | -n or -en | dem Jungen, dem Herrn |
| Genitive | -n or -en | des Jungen, des Herrn |
Examples
WEAK NOUN: der Junge → des Jungen → dem Jungen → den Jungen
WEAK NOUN: der Student → des Studenten → dem Studenten → den Studenten
PATTERN: All cases except nominative get -n/-en ending
LIVING BEINGS: der Löwe, der Affe, der Kunde, der Kollege
Common Weak Declension Nouns
Masculine nouns that follow weak declension:
Common Weak Nouns
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Junge | boy | des Jungen, dem Jungen, den Jungen |
| der Student | student | des Studenten, dem Studenten, den Studenten |
| der Herr | gentleman | des Herrn, dem Herrn, den Herrn |
| der Kunde | customer | des Kunden, dem Kunden, den Kunden |
| der Löwe | lion | des Löwen, dem Löwen, den Löwen |
| der Kollege | colleague | des Kollegen, dem Kollegen, den Kollegen |
Examples
PEOPLE: der Junge, der Student, der Kunde, der Kollege
ANIMALS: der Löwe, der Affe, der Hase, der Rabe
Mixed Declension Pattern
Mixed declension combines strong and weak patterns (very few nouns):
Mixed Declension Examples
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| das Herz | heart | des Herzens, dem Herzen, das Herz |
| der Name | name | des Namens, dem Namen, den Namen |
| der Gedanke | thought | des Gedankens, dem Gedanken, den Gedanken |
| der Glaube | belief | des Glaubens, dem Glauben, den Glauben |
Examples
MIXED: das Herz → des Herzens (strong -s) → dem Herzen (weak -n)
MIXED: der Name → des Namens (strong -s) → dem Namen (weak -n)
Feminine Noun Declension
Feminine nouns have no ending changes in singular:
Feminine Declension
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die Frau | the woman |
| Accusative | die Frau | the woman |
| Dative | der Frau | to/for the woman |
| Genitive | der Frau | of the woman |
Examples
SINGULAR: die Frau → der Frau → der Frau → die Frau (noun never changes)
PLURAL: die Frauen → der Frauen → den Frauen → die Frauen (dative adds -n)
Plural Declension Rules
Plural nouns follow specific declension patterns:
Plural Declension
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die + plural form | die Männer, die Frauen |
| Accusative | die + plural form | die Männer, die Frauen |
| Dative | den + plural + n | den Männern, den Frauen |
| Genitive | der + plural form | der Männer, der Frauen |
Examples
DATIVE PLURAL: Always add -n if not already there
EXAMPLES: den Kindern, den Häusern, den Autos
ALREADY ENDS IN -N: die Frauen → den Frauen (no extra -n)
ENDS IN -S: die Autos → den Autos (no -n added)
Proper Nouns and Names
Proper nouns follow special declension rules:
Examples
GENITIVE: Peters Buch (Peter's book), Marias Auto (Maria's car)
WITH ARTICLE: des kleinen Peters (of little Peter)
PLACE NAMES: in Deutschland (in Germany), nach Berlin (to Berlin)
COUNTRIES: die Schweiz → der Schweiz, die USA → der USA
Declension with Adjectives
Adjectives also decline when modifying nouns:
Examples
STRONG NOUN + ADJ: der große Mann → des großen Mannes
WEAK NOUN + ADJ: der kleine Junge → des kleinen Jungen
FEMININE + ADJ: die schöne Frau → der schönen Frau
PLURAL + ADJ: die guten Männer → den guten Männern
Common Mistakes
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. Wrong genitive ending: Using -s instead of -es or vice versa
2. Weak noun confusion: Not recognizing weak declension nouns
3. Plural dative: Forgetting -n in dative plural
4. Feminine endings: Adding unnecessary endings to feminine nouns
Examples
❌ des Mans → ✅ des Mannes
Wrong: one-syllable nouns usually take -es in genitive
❌ den Junge → ✅ den Jungen
Wrong: weak nouns take -n in all cases except nominative
❌ den Kindern → ✅ den Kindern
Correct: dative plural always has -n (Kindern already ends in -n)
❌ der Frauen → ✅ der Frau
Wrong: feminine singular nouns don't change endings