Grammar guide

Der, die or das: how to tell German noun gender

Every German noun has a gender: masculine (der), feminine (die) or neuter (das). The ending often gives it away, and pronouns follow the grammatical gender, not the person.

The rule

How to tell the gender

Look at the ending of the noun first.

die

-ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ion These endings are almost always feminine. die Zeitung · die Freiheit · die Information

das

-chen, -lein, -ment, -um Diminutives and many loanwords are neuter. das Mädchen · das Dokument · das Zentrum

der

-ling, -ismus, people in -er These endings and many words for people are masculine. der Frühling · der Tourismus · der Lehrer

Pronouns

Grammatical gender wins The pronoun follows the noun’s article. Das Mädchen lacht, weil es glücklich ist.

Typical mistakes on this topic

• Der, die or das: wrong article Die Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.
• Gender: by word ending Ich lese der Zeitung jeden Morgen. Ich lese die Zeitung jeden Morgen.
• Gender: pronoun reference Das Mädchen lacht, weil sie glücklich ist. Das Mädchen lacht, weil es glücklich ist.

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Grammar topics explained

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