N-Deklination

N-Deklination

Understanding the German N-Deklination


 

CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeder Jungedie Jungen
Genitivedes Jungender Jungen
Dativedem Jungenden Jungen
Accusativeden Jungendie Jungen

 

N-Deklination, also known as the n-declension, is a feature of German grammar that involves certain masculine nouns taking an "-n" or "-en" ending in certain cases. Most nouns with n- declension end with an „e“ in the nominative. As you can see in the chart, the genitive, dative, and accusative in Singular and plural are having the same ending.

 

The Rules of N-Deklination

 

To figure out the n-declension in German you can apply these rules: 

  • Always male nouns 
  • Most nouns are ending with an "e"

Here you can see more specific rules for the N-Deklination:

CharacteristicExamples
People, job titles, nationalitiesder Kollege, der Postbote, der Kroate, der Deutsche, der Junge
Animalsder Rabe, der Hase, der Löwe, der Affe
Noun ends with -andder Diamant 
Noun ends with -antder Kommandant, Sekundant, der Demonstrant, der Informant, der Repräsentant, der Garant, der Praktikant
Noun ends with -entder Student, der Präsident, der Dozent, der Referent, der Klient, der Patient, der Assistent, der Komponent 
Noun ends with -ogeder Biologe, der Geologe, der Psychologe, der Archäologe, der Ökologe, der Kardiologe, der Radiologe, der Neurologe, der Meteorologe, der Pathologe, der Astrologe, der Zoologe
Noun ends with -adder Kamerad
Noun ends with -at der Soldat, der Bürokrat, der Akrobat, der Kandidat
Noun ends with -istder Journalist, der Pianist, der Florist, der Tourist, der Aktivist, der Kommunist, der Altruist, der Egoist

Exceptions: There are some exceptions like: 

  • Bär, Herr, Nachbar

Example sentences with N-Deklination

In the following chart, you can see an example sentence for each rule. 

CharacteristicExample SentenceEnglish
People, job titles, nationalitiesDu bekommst den Brief von dem Postboten.You get the letter from the postman.
AnimalsDie Federn des Raben sind schwarz.The raven's feathers are black.
Noun ends with -andDie Männer suchen nach dem Diamenten. The men are looking for the diamond.
Noun ends with -antDie Arbeit des Praktikanten ist langweilig.The intern's job is boring.
Noun ends with -entDer Arzt behandelt  den Patienten.The doctor treats the patient.
Noun ends with -ogeDie Praxis des Psychologen ist sehr groß. The psychologist's office is very large.
Noun ends with -adDer Mann denkt an seinen Kameraden.The man thinks of his comrade.
Noun ends with -atDie Frau wartet auf den Bürokraten.The woman is waiting for the bureaucrat.
Noun ends with -istDie Reiseziele des Touristen sind sehr vielseitig. Tourist destinations of the tourist  are very diverse.

 

Niko

Article by Niko

Published 21 Apr 2023