"Always" MASCULINE (der/ein):
- Days, months, and seasons: Montag, Juli, Sommer (Monday, July,
summer). The one exception is das Frühjahr, another word for der
Frühling, spring.
- Points of the compass, map locations and winds: Nordwest(en)
(northwest), Süd(en) (south), der Föhn (warm wind out of the Alps),
der Scirocco (sirocco, a hot desert wind).
- Precipitation: Regen, Schnee, Nebel (rain, snow, fog/mist) - See
Das
Wetter
- Names of cars and trains: der VW, der ICE, der Mercedes. (But
motorbikes and aircraft are feminine.)
- Words ending in -ismus: Journalismus, Kommunismus, Synchronismus
(equal -ism words in English)
- Words ending in -ner: Rentner, Schaffner, Zentner, Zöllner
(pensioner, [train] conductor, hundred-weight, customs collector).
The feminine form adds -in (die Rentnerin).
- The basic "atmospheric" elements that end in -stoff: der
Sauerstoff (oxygen), der Stickstoff (nitrogen), der Wasserstoff
(hydrogen), plus carbon (der Kohlenstoff). The only other elements
(out of 112) that are masculine are der Phosphor and der Schwefel (sulphur).
Note: All of the other
chemical elements are neuter (das Aluminium, Blei, Kupfer, Uran,
Zink, usw.).
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Usually MASCULINE (der/ein):
- Agents, most occupations and
nationalities: der Architekt, der Arzt, der Deutsche, der Fahrer,
der Verkäufer, der Student, der Täter (architect, physician, German
[person], driver, salesman, student, perpetrator). Note that the
feminine form of these terms almost always ends in -in (die Architektin, die Ärztin, die Fahrerin, die Verkäuferin, die
Studentin, Täterin, but die Deutsche).
- Nouns ending in -er, when referring to people (but die Jungfer,
die Mutter, die Schwester, die Tochter, das Fenster) - See
German
Noun Suffixes and Gender
- Names of alcoholic drinks: der Wein, der Wodka (but das Bier)
- Names of mountains and lakes: der Berg, der See (but Germany's
highest peak, die Zugspitze follows the rule for the feminine ending
-e, and die See is the sea).
- Most rivers outside of Europe: der Amazonas, der Kongo, der
Mississippi (See
World Rivers in German)
- Most nouns ending in -ich, -ling, -ist: Rettich, Sittich,
Schädling, Frühling, Pazifist (radish, parakeet, pest/parasite,
spring, pacifist)
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"Always" FEMININE (die/eine):
- Nouns ending in the following suffixes: -heit, -keit, -tät, -ung,
-schaft - Examples: die Freiheit, Schnelligkeit, Universität,
Zeitung, Freundschaft (freedom, quickness, university, newspaper,
friendship). Note that these suffixes usually have a corresponding
English suffix, such as -ness (-heit, -keit), -ty (-tät), -ship (-schaft).
- Nouns ending in -ie: Drogerie, Geographie, Komödie, Industrie,
Ironie (often equal to words ending in -y in English)
- Names of aircraft, ships and motorbikes: die Boeing 747, die
Titanic, die BMW (motorbike only; the car is der BMW). The die comes
from die Maschine, which can mean plane, motorbike and engine. -
Helpful reminder: Ships are often referred to as "she" in English.
- Nouns ending in -ik: die Grammatik, Grafik, Klinik, Musik, Panik,
Physik - see
Exceptions
- Borrowed (foreign) nouns ending in: -ade, -age, -anz, -enz, -ette,
-ine, -ion, -tur: Parade, Blamage (shame), Bilanz, Distanz, Frequenz,
Serviette (napkin), Limonade, Nation, Konjunktur (economic trend).
Note: Such words often resemble their English equivalent. A rare -ade
exception: der Nomade.
- Cardinal numbers: eine Eins, eine Drei (a one, a three)
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Usually FEMININE (die/eine):
- Nouns ending in -in that pertain to female people, occupations,
nationalities: Amerikanerin, Studentin (female American, student),
but der Harlekin and also many non-people words: das Benzin, der
Urin (gasoline/petrol, urine).
- Most nouns ending in -e: Ecke, Ente, Grenze, Pistole, Seuche
(corner, duck, border, pistol, epidemic), but der Deutsche, das
Ensemble, der Friede, der Junge ([the] German, ensemble, peace, boy)
- Nouns ending in -ei: Partei, Schweinerei (party [political],
dirty trick/mess), but das Ei, der Papagei (egg, parrot).
- Most types of flowers and trees: Birke, Chrysantheme, Eiche,
Rose (birch, chrysanthemum, oak, rose), but der Ahorn, (maple), das
Gänseblümchen (daisy), and the word for tree is der Baum
- Borrowed (foreign) nouns ending in -isse, -itis, -ive: Hornisse,
Initiative (hornet, initiative)
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"Always" NEUTER (das/ein):
- Nouns ending in -chen or -lein: Fräulein, Häuschen, Kaninchen,
Mädchen (unmarried woman, cottage, rabbit, girl/maiden)
- Infinitives used as nouns (gerunds): das Essen, das Schreiben
(eating/food, writing)
- Almost all of the 112 known
chemical elements (das Aluminium, Blei, Kupfer, Uran, Zink,
Zinn, Zirkonium, usw.) - except for six that are masculine: der
Kohlenstoff (carbon), der Sauerstoff (oxygen), der Stickstoff
(nitrogen), der Wasserstoff (hydrogen), der Phosphor and der
Schwefel (sulphur). Note: Most of the elements end in -ium, a das
ending.
- Names of hotels, cafés and theaters
- Names of colors used as nouns: das Blau, das Rot (blue, red)
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Usually NEUTER (das/ein):
- Geographic place names (towns, countries, continents): das
Berlin, Deutschland, Brasilien, Afrika (but learn non-das countries,
such as: der Irak, der Jemen, die Schweiz, die Türkei, die USA [plur.])
- See: Land
und Leute, a German-English chart of countries, nationalities
and languages.
- Young animals and people: das Baby, das Küken (chick); but der
Junge (boy).
- Most metals: Aluminium, Blei, Kupfer, Messing, Zinn (aluminium,
lead, copper, brass, tin/pewter; but die Bronze, der Stahl - bronze,
steel)
- Nouns ending in -o (often
cognates
from Latin): das Auto, Büro, Kasino, Konto (account), Radio, Veto,
Video - Note: Exceptions: die Avocado, die Disko, der Euro, der
Scirocco, etc. - See
exceptions
- Fractions: das/ein Viertel (¼), das/ein Drittel (but die Hälfte,
half)
- Most nouns starting with Ge-: Genick, Gerät, Geschirr,
Geschlecht, Gesetz, Gespräch (back of the neck, device, dishes,
sex/gender, law, conversation), but there are many exceptions, such
as der Gebrauch, der Gedanke, die Gefahr, der Gefallen, der Genuss,
der Geschmack, der Gewinn, die Gebühr, die Geburt, die Geduld, die
Gemeinde, die Geschichte, and others)
- Most borrowed (foreign) nouns ending in -ment: Ressentiment,
Supplement (but der Zement, der/das Moment [2 diff. meanings])
- Most nouns ending in -nis: Versäumnis (neglect; but die
Erlaubnis, die Erkenntnis, die Finsternis)
- Most nouns ending in -tum or -um: Christentum, Königtum
(Christianity, kingship; but der Irrtum, der Reichtum - error,
wealth)
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