{"id":93844,"date":"2023-06-06T20:16:44","date_gmt":"2023-06-07T00:16:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/german-declension\/"},"modified":"2025-02-04T00:02:59","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T05:02:59","slug":"german-declension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/german\/german-declension\/","title":{"rendered":"German Declension Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’ve ever wondered why der Hund<\/em> (the dog) sometimes turns into den <\/em>or dem<\/em>\u00a0Hund<\/em>, what those funny endings at the end of adjectives are, and why there are so many different pronouns in German, then you need to learn about declension. Declension is an integral part of the German language, subtly telling you the role of each word within a sentence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Let’s go over what declension means in the German language, aspects to pay attention to when using declension, as well as steps to follow to use declension properly.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What Is Declension?<\/h2>\n

In the context of German grammar<\/a>, declension means providing essential information about the nouns in a sentence and how they relate to each other. T<\/strong>his involves making the case, number and gender of a noun clear.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Think of it this way. When you speak in English about a noun, you somehow have to denote how many you are talking about. The sentence \u201cMary fed the ducks\u201d tells you there’s more than one duck.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the sentence structure\u2014most importantly here, the verb\u2014tells us who or what the subject is and who or what the direct object is. Mary is our subject, as she feeds the ducks, and since she is performing the action\u2014feeding, which the hungry ducks receive happily\u2013the ducks act as our direct object.<\/p>\n

English mostly relies on word order to convey this information. We know that Mary is doing the feeding because she comes before the verb. However, German instead relies on declension, meaning the words before nouns will change<\/strong> in order to show both who is doing the action, and who is receiving it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let’s look at two sentences:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Der Mann f\u00fcttert den Hund.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Den Hund f\u00fcttert der Mann. <\/em><\/p>\n

Both of these sentences mean “The man feeds the dog.” But even though the second example puts the dog at the beginning of the sentence, we know that the dog is the one being fed because of the article den<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>This is what we call putting a noun in a different\u00a0case.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The article\u00a0den<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>also tells us that noun\u00a0Hund\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>is a masculine, singular noun.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is what we mean by declension, changing the words before nouns in order to convey information about the noun and what it is doing in the sentence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To summarize: The ability to break down a sentence into its various parts will be key to German declension\u2014who is doing what to whom, and what is the gender and number of each noun. So remember, focus on<\/strong> case, gender and number!<\/strong><\/p>\n

How to Learn German Declension<\/h2>\n

These three aspects are crucial to understanding proper German declension.<\/p>\n

Let’s look at some tips to help you learn all three. After that, we’ll help you put declension into practice.<\/p>\n

1. Determine the Noun’s Case<\/h3>\n

The case of a German noun<\/a> is usually determined by the context of the sentence and where the action is directed.<\/p>\n

When nouns occur as the subject, they are in the nominative<\/strong>. This means there are no changes and every word is just as you’ll find it in the dictionary. For example:<\/p>\n

Der Mann<\/strong> schwimmt schnell.<\/em>
\n(The man<\/strong> swims fast.)<\/p>\n

Er<\/em><\/strong> schwimmt schnell.<\/em>
\n<\/em>(He<\/strong> swims fast.)<\/p>\n

Direct objects that are on the receiving end of an action take the accusative<\/strong> case. For example:\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/em>Ich sehe den<\/strong> Mann<\/strong>.<\/em><\/em>
\n(I see the man.<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

Ich sehen ihn<\/strong>.
\n<\/em>(I see him.<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

Notice how\u00a0der Mann\u00a0<\/em>has become\u00a0den Mann<\/em>, showing that the man is on the receiving end of the verb “to see”.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The dative case denotes indirect objects <\/strong>and takes it one step further. The dative usually shows the receiver<\/strong> of the direct object<\/strong>. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n

Der Mann gibt der Frau<\/strong> ein Geschenk.
\n<\/em>(The man gives the woman <\/b>a present.)<\/p>\n

Der Mann<\/i> is the subject\u2014nominative case\u2014because he’s doing the action, and the verb geben<\/em> is conjugated accordingly. Our direct object is ein Geschenk<\/em>, because that is what is being given; it’s in the accusative case.<\/p>\n

Lastly, der Frau <\/em>is our indirect object. The woman is receiving the direct object, the present, so she goes in the dative case. This changes\u00a0die Frau<\/em> to\u00a0der Frau<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The genitive case<\/a> shows possession<\/strong>. It’s a bit more complex in terms of use and being able to identify it, but let\u2019s look at an example:<\/p>\n

Das Haus meiner Eltern<\/strong> ist sehr alt.<\/em>
\n(Literal translation: The house of my parents is very old.)<\/p>\n

In English, we would phrase this as: “My parents’ house is very old.\u201d<\/p>\n

German word order aside, the important part here is the word \u201cof.\u201d Look at the English sentence above: The apostrophe and \u201cs\u201d attached to \u201cparents\u201d denotes possession, but in German, the genitive case is used instead.<\/p>\n

2. Determine the Noun’s Gender<\/h3>\n

The best way to determine a noun’s gender is to use a dictionary<\/a> or an app<\/a>. Plain and simple. Memorization is best for nouns you’ll use often in everyday speech, but if you’re unsure, always consult a dictionary.<\/p>\n

There are also many great resources and tricks<\/a> for memorizing what sorts of nouns take a specific gender. For example, nouns ending in –keit <\/em>and -heit <\/em>are almost always feminine.<\/p>\n

There are other characteristics in German<\/a> that make it easy to guess which nouns take what gender without looking it up.<\/p>\n

3. Determine the Noun’s Number<\/h3>\n

Singular nouns will always be conjugated to the er\/sie\/es<\/em>\u00a0form of whichever verb occurs in the sentence.<\/p>\n

However, plural nouns will always use the infinitive form of the verb. If you’re unsure about the number in regard to the subject, look first at the verb.<\/p>\n

If you’re still in doubt, look up the form of the noun to double-check. Nouns will nearly always change in spelling to reflect a quantity higher than one.<\/p>\n

Keep these contextual cues in mind when you are writing German sentences, and work through each sentence to determine the right case, gender and number.<\/p>\n

After you\u2019ve determined which gender and case are necessary, and the number of things you’re dealing with, use the following steps to correctly write your complete German sentence.<\/p>\n

How to Use Declension in German<\/h2>\n

Definite Articles: Der<\/em> Words<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Case<\/th>Masculine<\/th>Feminine<\/th>Neuter<\/th>Plural<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Nominative<\/strong><\/td>der<\/em><\/td>die<\/em><\/td>das<\/em><\/td>die<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Accusative<\/strong><\/td>den<\/em><\/td>die<\/em><\/td>das<\/em><\/td>die<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dative<\/strong><\/td>dem<\/em><\/td>der<\/em><\/td>dem<\/em><\/td>den<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Genitive<\/strong><\/td>des<\/em><\/td>der<\/em><\/td>des<\/em><\/td>der<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Der words<\/em> show definitively that you are speaking about someone or something specific, like \u201cthe<\/em> man\u201d or \u201cthe<\/em> tree,\u201d and not just \u201ca man\u201d or \u201cany tree.\u201d<\/p>\n

You might say, \u201cI like the tree<\/strong>, but a man<\/strong> told me it was not for sale.\u201d Depending on context, readers should know what tree is being referred to, but \u201ca man\u201d is too vague to figure out who the man is, or which one is being referred to. Therefore, the “a” in “a man” is an indefinite article<\/strong>\u2014more about that below.<\/p>\n

You might also consider the difference between definite and indefinite in the context of particularity: that tree (definite) vs. any tree (indefinite)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Indefinite Articles: Ein<\/em> Words<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Case<\/th>Masculine<\/th>Feminine<\/th>Neuter<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Nominative<\/strong><\/td>ein<\/em><\/td>eine<\/em><\/td>ein<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Accusative<\/strong><\/td>einen<\/em><\/td>eine<\/em><\/td>ein<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dative<\/strong><\/td>einem<\/em><\/td>einer<\/em><\/td>einem<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Genitive<\/strong><\/td>eines<\/em><\/td>einer<\/em><\/td>eines<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

We spoke about \u201ca man\u201d and \u201ca tree,\u201d and for those instances in German, we use ein <\/em>words. Let\u2019s go through each case again, this time for ein<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Just like for der<\/em> words, it’s easiest to memorize the strings of articles for each case. However, indefinite articles don’t apply to plural. After all, you can\u2019t have \u201ca ducks\u201d! Keep this in mind as you practice.<\/p>\n

Plural Possessives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Case<\/th>Plural Possessive<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Nominative<\/strong><\/td>meine<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Accusative<\/strong><\/td>meine<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dative<\/strong><\/td>meinen<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Genitive<\/strong><\/td>meiner<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Another great thing about indefinite articles is that we use the same endings for the possessive<\/a>\u2014just add an “m” to the start and you’ll be ready to go. In this case, though, we do need the plural form; these are the correct plural possessives.<\/p>\n

Nouns Without Articles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Case<\/th>Masculine<\/th>Feminine<\/th>Neuter<\/th>Plural<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Nominative<\/strong><\/td>-er<\/em><\/td>-e<\/em><\/td>-es<\/em><\/td>-e<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Accusative<\/strong><\/td>-en<\/em><\/td>-e<\/em><\/td>-es<\/em><\/td>-e<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dative<\/strong><\/td>-em<\/em><\/td>-er<\/em><\/td>-em<\/em><\/td>-en<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Genitive<\/strong><\/td>-es<\/em><\/td>-er<\/em><\/td>-es<\/em><\/td>-er<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

What if a noun isn\u2019t preceded by an article, but an adjective instead? Do we still have to include the article?<\/p>\n

The answer is complex. In fact, this is the best illustration of the purpose of declension. When you don\u2019t know anything about the noun in the sentence, the declension will have all the clues necessary.<\/p>\n

In short, just as in English, we don\u2019t always include an article before the noun, but in German you do have to somehow denote (1) case, (2) gender and (3) number.<\/p>\n

Sentences like \u201cBroken glass covered the floor,\u201d or \u201cPlease buy me some red potatoes\u201d or even \u201cI would like hot chocolate!\u201d are all instances where the nouns mentioned do not have a definite or indefinite article attached. In these cases, the adjective before the noun fulfils this role.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For instance, the last example sentence, in German, would read:<\/p>\n

Ich m\u00f6chte hei\u00dfe Schokolade!<\/em><\/p>\n

Die Schokolade<\/em> is our noun here, and since the chocolate is being acted on by Ich<\/em>, we need to use the accusative feminine ending for hei\u00df<\/em>, which is -e<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Resources to Practice German Declension<\/h2>\n

After reading this post, you\u2019ll probably be wondering how to practice the German declension. Here are a few resources to get started with to help you on your journey to mastering this aspect of the German language.<\/p>\n

FluentU<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

This program lets you watch how native speakers use declensions through German videos.<\/p>\n

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

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