Nouns, cases and negation
Noun gender, plurals and countability
A singular German noun commonly has der, die or das. Learn article + noun + plural as one record: der Tisch, die Tische; die Stadt, die Städte; das Kind, die Kinder. All three use die in the nominative plural. There is no universally reliable plural ending: -e, -er, -(e)n, -s, no ending, and umlaut changes all occur.
Some gender patterns help: endings -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft are generally feminine; diminutives -chen/-lein are neuter. These do not justify guessing every unfamiliar noun.
A countable plural needs no indefinite equivalent of “a”: ein Buch → Bücher. Many substance/abstract uses are normally singular: Wasser, Milch, Geld, Zeit. They may develop countable plural senses in other contexts.
- Example
- Das ist ein Zimmer. Die Wohnung hat drei Zimmer.
- English
- That is a room. The apartment has three rooms.
- Hinglish
- Yeh ek kamra hai. Flat mein teen kamre hain.
eine Tasche / zwei Taschen; ein Mann / zwei Männer; ein Haus / zwei Häuser.
Hinglish: ek bag / do bags; ek aadmi / do aadmi; ek ghar / do ghar.