GermanLesson 1 of 1 in the course German noun and case system

German Inflection: Noun Gender, Cases, Articles, and Verb Forms

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

German grammar shares features with other Germanic languages, but it differs from English in important ways. German nouns have grammatical gender, and articles change form according to gender and case. These patterns help show how each noun functions in a sentence.

Every German noun has one of three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine, or neuter. The definite article often signals a noun’s gender: der is masculine, die is feminine, and das is neuter in the nominative singular.

All flashcards

What are grammatical gender and the three German genders?
Grammatical gender is a category assigned to nouns that affects related words such as articles. German has masculine, feminine, and neuter genders.
What are the four German cases?
Nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive. They mark relationships such as subject, direct object, indirect object, and possession.
What is the usual role of the accusative case?
The accusative commonly marks the direct object—the person or thing directly affected by the verb. For example, *den Hund* is accusative in *Der Mann sieht den Hund*.
Which noun endings are reliable clues to feminine gender?
The endings -heit, -keit, -ung, -schaft, and -tät are associated with feminine nouns.
Why should learners study a German noun with its article?
The article provides a useful reminder of the noun’s grammatical gender, and its form can also change to show case and number.

Quiz questions

  1. What are the three grammatical genders of German nouns?Answer: Masculine, feminine, and neuter.
  2. Which case commonly marks the subject of a sentence?Answer: The nominative case.
  3. In “Der Mann sieht den Hund,” why is “den Hund” accusative?Answer: It is the direct object being seen.
  4. Which group contains endings that signal feminine German nouns?Answer: -heit, -keit, -ung, -schaft, and -tät.
  5. Which grammatical features can affect the form of a German article?Answer: The noun’s gender, number, and case.

Based on the Wikipedia article German grammar, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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