4.12 n-declension nouns and the weak masculines — Epoché
What you will be able to do Recognise the masculine nouns of the n -declension, which add -n or -en in every form except the nominative singular: der Bär, den Bären, dem Bären, des Bären . Predict most of them from their shape: masculine nouns in -e for living beings, and international words in -ent, -ant, -ist, -at . Use the small group that also adds -s in the genitive — der Name, des Namens — and the one neuter, das Herz . Connect the group to its English survivor, ox — oxen . Sentences from this lesson, before the explanation. Read the German aloud; all of them come back below. German English Ich will dieses Zimmer an einen Studenten vermieten. [1] I want to rent this room to a student. Höre auf die Stimme deines Herzens! [2] Listen to the voice of your heart! Sie sind mit ihren Hunden im Park. [3] They're with their dogs in the park. Der Präsident war in seinen jungen Jahren Bauer. [4] The president was a farmer when he was young. Meine Herren, lassen Sie Ihren Motor an. [5] Gentlemen, start your engines. Wie steht es um die Zähne deines Hundes? [6] How are your dog's teeth? Er brummt immer wie ein Bär. [7] He always grumbles like a bear. Bitte denken Sie jetzt nicht an einen rosa Elefanten. [8] Please do not think of a pink elephant right now. Prerequisites : 4.11 — you need the full case system of this volume, from 4.1 Cases to 4.11 Cases , and the plural patterns from 2.4 Grammar . In 4.3 Cases a sentence had dem Jungen with an unexpected -n , and you were asked to copy it for now. This lesson explains it. A small class of masculine nouns marks every case except the nominative singular with -n or -en . The class is small, but its members are frequent — Mensch, Herr, Junge, Name, Kollege, Student — and the mistake of leaving the ending off is one of the most noticeable a learner can make. Table Here is the pattern, with der Bär as the model, set against an ordinary masculine noun. Case Ordinary masculine Masculine of the n-declension Nominative der Hund der Bär Accusative den Hund den Bären Dative dem Hund dem Bären Genitive des Hundes des Bären Plural, all cases die Hunde , den Hunden die Bären Notice two things. The genitive singular has no -s : des Bären . And the plural is the same -en form throughout, so the singular and plural differ only in the article. The class can be learned in four groups. The first three cover almost all of them. Group Shape Members 1 masculine, ends in -e , names a person or an animal der Junge, der Kollege, der Kunde, der Löwe, der Affe, der Hase, der Franzose, der Russe, der Experte, der Neffe 2 masculine international words in -ent, -ant, -ist, -at, -oge, -graf, -et der Student, der Präsident, der Elefant, der Polizist, der Tourist, der Journalist, der Soldat, der Biologe, der Fotograf, der Planet 3 a handful of old masculine nouns, to be learned one by one der Mensch, der Herr, der Bär, der Held, der Prinz, der Nachbar, der Bauer 4 nouns that add -n but also -s in the genitive der Name, der Gedanke, der Buchstabe, der Glaube, der Wille , and the neuter das Herz Two of these have small irregularities. Herr takes -n in the singular but -en in the plural: dem Herrn , die Herren . Herz is neuter, so its accusative stays the same as the nominative: das Herz, das Herz, dem Herzen, des Herzens . In real sentences Group 1 and group 3. German English Ich sehe den Jungen. [9] I see the boy. Das Mädchen half dem Jungen. [10] The girl helped the boy. Der Bär brummt. [11] The bear growls. Er ist ein Mensch. [12] He is human. Hör auf einen klugen Menschen! [13] Listen to a smart person! Kennst du Herrn Gao? [14] Do you know Mr Gao? Wir hatten ein freundliches Gespräch mit dem Herrn. [15] We had a friendly talk with the gentleman. Der Hund bellte den Nachbarn an. [16] The dog barked at the neighbour. Er ist mein Kollege. [17] He is my colleague. When Herr is used as a title before a name it still takes the ending: Kennst du Herrn Gao? This is the commonest place where learners forget it, for example on envelopes and in emails. Group 2. German English Ich hasse den neuen Präsidenten. [18] I hate the new president. Ich will dieses Zimmer einem Studenten vermieten. [19] I want to rent this room to a student. Group 4 and Herz . German English Wie ist Ihr Name? [20] What is your name? Ihren Namen, bitte. [21] Your name, please. Mein Herz raste. [22] My heart was racing. Folge einfach deinem Herzen. [23] Just follow your heart. Folge der Stimme deines Herzens! [24] Do as your heart dictates. How English does it English kept one of these nouns. Old English had a large class of so-called weak nouns, with endings in -an in most cases: oxa , ox , had the plural oxan . The German n -declension is the same class. English generalised the plural -s and lost the -an almost everywhere; oxen is the survivor, along with the double plurals children and brethren , which added the same ending to an older plural. Even name and heart belonged to this class in Old English, like their German counterparts Name and Herz . Why these nouns? Most members of the class are words for male people and animals. Over the history of German, nouns that named inanimate things gradually left the class — many moved into group 4, keeping the -n but taking the ordinary genitive -s , and some lost the -n altogether — while nouns for people stayed. The class has also kept growing at its edges: when German borrows an international word for a person ending in -ist , -ent or -ant , it joins group 2 as a matter of course, which is why Tourist and Präsident behave like Junge . Ending or no ending in everyday speech. You will sometimes hear the ending dropped in casual speech, especially in group 2: mit dem Student instead of mit dem Studenten . Germans notice it, and in writing it counts as an error. For the nouns you use most — Mensch, Herr, Junge, Kollege, Nachbar, Name — the ending is almost always kept in standard German, and leaving it off sounds foreign at once. Learn these six with their endings as a prio