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Noutts
Nourus
)
Key points
y' y'
A
Nouns referring to male people and animals are masculine. Seasons, months, days oftheweek, weatherand points ofthe compass are masculine.
Er hat eine Drei
D
der Mann die Frau
die Falte die Briicke
crease,
der Vater
wrinkle
bridge
Note that male people or animals ending in -e are masculine, and, nouns lreginning with Ge- and ending in -e are normally neuter.
der L6,wg das Getreide
die Mutter
father mother
der Bulle die Kuh
cow
bull
Many masculine Cerman nouns can be made feminine by add ing -in in the
the lion
der Lehrer die Lehrerln Lehrer und Lehrerilnen
crop
Example
man
woman
singularand -innen in the plural.
Nouns with the following endings are fem inine. Feminine Ending
He got a three
In German, there are sometimes verv different words for male and female,
Most nouns ending in -e are feminine.
E
gekriegt.
justas in English.
Feminine nouns
>
>
Numbers used in counting, for example one, three, fifty are feminine.
(male) teacher (female) teacher (male and female) teachers
Meaning
der Leser
(male) reader (female) reader our reaoers
-heit
die schiinheit
beauty
die Leserin
-keit
die Sehenswiirdigkeit
sight
unsere Leser und Leser!nng4
-schaft
die Gewerkschaft
trade union
-un9
die Zeituno
newspaper
-el
die Bickerei
lrakerV
Grammar Ertra! Some German adjectives are used as femin ine nouns. They have feminine adjective endings wh ich change according to the article which comes before them.
Grammar E><tra! cerman nouns taken from other languages and end ing in -anz, -enz, -ie, -ik, -ion, feminine, with some exceptions.
Distanz Konkurrq4z die Theorie
theorv
die Panik
panlc
die Union
union
Elektrizitit dieTemperatul
electricity
die
distance
die
rivalry
die
temperature
BUT:
derKranz
Knie BUT: derPazifik BUT: derspion BUT: das
BUT
dasAbitur
wreath
-tit,
-ur are
r)
eine Deutsche
a Cerman
die Abgeordnete
thefemale MP
For more information on Adjediveswhich can be used as nouns ond for Feminine adjeaive endings, see pqges 50 ana 42.
knee
Key Pacific spy
y' y' y'
A levels
y' For
further explanation ofgrammatical terms, please
see pages x-xiv.
woman
points
Vostnouns ending in -e are feminine. vtanyfeminine nouns end in:-heit, -keit, -schaft, -ung, -ei. Masculine Cerman words referring to people can be made feminine
byadding-in in thesingularand-innen in the plural. Numbers used in counting are Feminine.
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