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Substantive (Nouns)

Welcome to your first German grammar lesson! In this lesson, we will learn about nouns (Substantive), which are the names of people, animals, things, or concepts.

What is a Noun?

A noun is a word that represents a person, an animal, a thing, or a concept.

For example:

  • der Mann (the man)
  • die Katze (the cat)
  • das Buch (the book)
  • die Freiheit (freedom)

Noun Gender

All German nouns have a gender:

  • der → masculine (male)
  • die → feminine (female)
  • das → neuter (neutral)

For example:

  • der Hund (the dog)
  • die Frau (the woman)
  • das Auto (the car)

The gender of a noun is often arbitrary and must be memorized.

Plural Forms

Nouns also have plural forms, which are not always predictable.

For example:

  • der Tisch → die Tische (the table → the tables)
  • die Blume → die Blumen (the flower → the flowers)
  • das Buch → die Bücher (the book → the books)

Nouns in Sentences

Let's see how nouns work in sentences.

  • Der Hund schläft. (The dog is sleeping.)
  • Die Frau liest ein Buch. (The woman is reading a book.)
  • Das Auto ist schnell. (The car is fast.)

Notice how the article (der, die, das) changes depending on the noun's gender.

Fill in the blanks with the correct German article.

  1. ___ Hund spielt im Garten.
  2. ___ Katze schläft auf dem Sofa.
  3. Ich habe ___ Buch gelesen.

Answers: 1. Der 2. Die 3. Das