Plural, declension, and gender in German. Neuter gender

Last Updated on October 2, 2024

In the last part of the topic devoted to gender in the German language, we will consider the neuter gender.

Other parts:
1. Plural, declension, and gender in German. Feminine gender
2. Plural, declension, and gender in German. Masculine gender
4. Tests for Gender and Plural in German

Sentences with zu in German
Verbs with prepositions in German. Preposition um and preposition über
Modal verbs in German
Past tense in German. Perfect and preterite
Separable verbs in German
SS or ß in German
From horror to anxiety: fürchten, Angst haben, erschrecken, bangen, entsetzen
Reach an agreement: vereinbaren vs verabreden, ausmachen etc.
Fahrstuhl or Aufzug or Lift and others

Neuter gender in German

Neuter words by meaning

Colours

Here it is neuter both in meaning and in form (substantivized adjective).

das Rot
das Blau…

Domestic animals and cubs

Most of the general and most commonly used words for domestic animals are of the neuter gender. This, naturally, does not apply to words denoting a specific sex of these animals. The exception is dog, cat, donkey and goat, to which, apparently, there is no indifferent “middle” attitude.

Cubs are also neuter. The exception is the puppy – der Welpe.

das Baby
das Kind
das Fohlen
das Ferkel
das Lamm
das Küken
das Kalb
das Geißlein, das Kitz
das Kätzchen

Metals

Words denoting metals are neuter. Exceptions: die Bronze, der Nickel, der Stahl.

das Eisen
das Kupfer
das Zink
das Messing
das Gold
das Silber
das Blei
das Titan
das Aluminium
das Chrom…

Continents, countries, cities

Countries, continents and cities formally belong to the neuter gender, but are used without an article.

Exceptions:

Languages, letters, notes

The names of languages, letters and notes are of the neuter gender.

das Deutsch
das Englisch
das Hindi

das B

Public facilities

Hier there are a little more neuter words, but also too many exceptions, which makes this feature questionable.

Words of the neuter gender by form

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Substantivized verbs and adjectives

One of the most convenient signs: substantivized verbs (ending in -en) and substantivized adjectives (rare) are neuter. Sometimes a whole expression turns into a noun and it will also be neuter: das Vergissmeinnicht.

das Aussehen
das Essen
das Lachen
das Leben
das Verhalten
das Versprechen
das Wandern…

das Leid
das Hoch
das Rund

Ge… (e)

Ge– is a typical beginning of a neuter word in German. There are exceptions, but they are few, and they often fall out of the pattern, so you’ll find them easy to remember.

Words in Ge- have the following meanings:
– collective
– typical activity
– result of action

If you see Ge– and a verb stem without -en after it, or Ge- and a noun stem with a general meaning, you can be pretty sure the word is neuter.

Words, ending in -nis

Most words ending in -nis are neuter.

Words, ending in -tum

Words ending in -tum mean:
quality
action
collective or state.

Words, ending in -lein, -chen

Diminutive suffixes, often affectionate rather than derogatory. While -lein is more likely to be found in fairy tales, -chen is a very active suffix. Sometimes the original word is no longer used (as in Märchen).

Words, ending in -tel

Means part of a whole.

das Viertel
das Drittel
das Achtel
das Hundertstel…

Loanwords

The neuter gender has its own suffixes, which they do not share with anyone, and there are those that also belong to the masculine gender.

In the masculine gender, we have considered a whole series of suffixes where there was a note “mainly if it refers to people, otherwise, as a rule, neuter gender”. Let us now list them from the point of view of neuter gender.

Words, ending in -ing

das Curling
das Bowling
das Banking
das Billing
das Styling
das Tuning
das Recycling
das Parking
das Outing

Words, ending in -um

das Album
das Arboretum
das Datum
das Depositum
das Museum
das Stadium
das Studium
das Zentrum…

Words, ending in -ma

The suffix -ma comes from old Greek, denotes various scientific concepts, often medical. All these words are neuter. The exception is die Firma – a coincidence in form, this word comes from Italian.

das Drama
das Karma
das Klima
das Komma
das Thema
das Asthma
das Trauma
das Dilemma
das Panorama
das Plasma…

Neuter gender declension

Words of the neuter gender have the ending -(e)s in the genitive singular.

Words ending in -e, -er, -el or zero in the plural also add the ending -(e)n in the dative plural. Words ending in -s in the plural do not add this ending.

Mixed declension

The only word of the neuter gender belongs to the mixed declension – das Herz.

Plural neuter

Basic ending of the plural of the neuter gender – -er.

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1. Plural, declension, and gender in German. Feminine gender
2. Plural, declension, and gender in German. Masculine gender
Tests for Gender and Plural in German

Sentences with zu in German
Verbs with prepositions in German. Preposition um and preposition über
Modal verbs in German
Past tense in German. Perfect and preterite
Separable verbs in German
SS or ß in German
From horror to anxiety: fürchten, Angst haben, erschrecken, bangen, entsetzen
Reach an agreement: vereinbaren vs verabreden, ausmachen etc.
Fahrstuhl or Aufzug or Lift and others