How to know the gender of German nouns?
How to Know the Gender of German Nouns
German nouns have three genders: masculine (der), feminine (die), and neuter (das). While there are exceptions, these rules help predict gender:
1. By Noun Ending
Masculine (-er, -el, -ling): der Lehrer (teacher), der Schlüssel (key)
Feminine (-ung, -heit, -keit): die Zeitung (newspaper), die Freiheit (freedom)
Neuter (-chen, -lein, -ment): das Mädchen (girl), das Instrument (instrument)
2. By Meaning
Masculine: Male persons (der Vater), days/months (der Montag), alcoholic drinks (der Wein)
Feminine: Female persons (die Mutter), most flowers (die Rose), rivers (die Donau)
Neuter: Young beings (das Baby), metals (das Gold), continents (das Afrika)
3. Memorize with Articles
Always learn nouns with their articles (der/die/das) to internalize gender.