Regular declension
Most nouns only change in:
- masculine / neuter genitive singular
- dative plural
Genitive singular
| Pattern | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Multisyllabic | -s | des Lehrers |
| Monosyllabic | often -es | des Tages |
Sibilant ending (-s, -ss, -ß, -x, -z, -tz) | -es | des Hauses |
Same sibilant group appears in verb conjugation (2sg present).
Dative plural
Add -n (unless the plural already ends in -n / -s).
Observe: dative plural NPs often surface as a chain of -en endings — e.g. mit den kleinen Hunden.
Plural and gender
Plural form correlates with:
- affixes (some prefixes/suffixes predict gender + plural)
- gender + syllable count
- semantics (certain meaning classes prefer a gender)
Special patterns:
| Form | Plural |
|---|---|
feminine -in | -innen |
-nis | -nisse |
Bare genitive plural without article is largely obsolete; prefer von + dative (unless a strong adjective marks the case).
Weak nouns (N-Deklination)
- Almost all weak nouns are masculine
- Exception: das Herz
- All forms except nominative singular take
-en - Plural never umlauts
Groups to enumerate
| Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|
masculine -e | der Affe, der Bote, der Zeuge, … |
-and, -ant, -ent | der Doktorand, der Student, … |
-ist | der Pianist, … |
| Greek-origin professions | der Philosoph, … |
| other | (list as you meet them) |
Topics to expand
- Countries, nationals, languages
- Affix → gender / plural prediction table
Related
- Articles — case marked on the determiner
- Adjectives — endings depend on article type