Feminine noun groups Flashcards
airplanes, motorcycles, ship makes/models
die Boeing, die Cessna, die BMW, die Honda, die “Bismarck”, die “Bremen”
Common exceptions:
Means of transportation that maintain the gender of the base word, e.g.: der Airbus, der Storch, der “Albatros”, das “Möwchen”
Also general means of transportation: der Zug (train) [but die Bahn (railway/train)!], der Wagen / das Auto (car), das Schiff/Boot (ship/boot), das Fahrrad (bike), das Motorrad (motorcycle)
animals
die Gans (goose), die Kuh (cow), die Sau (sow), die Henne (hen)
female persons
die Frau (woman), die Mutter (mother), die Ärztin (doctor), die Italienerin
Notable exceptions:
das Weib (woman, derogatory), das Fräulein (young woman, miss), das Mädchen (girl)
Note on female persons:
Professions (e.g. der Arzt, doctor) and other persons (e.g. der Bettler, beggar; der Fahrer, driver) are most often transformed into the female version by adding and -in: die Ärztin, die Bettlerin, die Fahrerin). Read more below in the section on feminine noun forms.
numerals used as nouns
die Eins (1), die Zwei (2), die Sechzehn (16), die Million, die Milliarde (billion)
Common exceptions:
Quantity expressions such as das Dutzend, das Hundert, das Tausend
rivers within Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
die Donau, die Elbe, die Havel, die Mosel, die Oder, die Weser
Some exceptions:
der Inn, der Lech, der Main, der Neckar, der Rhein
trees, fruits and flowers
die Eiche (oak), die Pflaume (plum), die Tulpe (tulip),
Exceptions: der Ahorn (maple), der Apfel (apple), der Löwenzahn (dandelion)
