Gender

Question 1

What is the meaning of gender in grammar?

Answer 1

Gender means a word can be classified as masculine, feminine, or neuter. It’s not a very important concept in English, but it is central to the German language because it connects the way that words are pronounced, spelled and understood.

Question 2

What 3 parts of speech in English indicate gender?

Answer 2

1. Pronouns.
2. Possessive Adjectives.
3. Nouns themselves do not have gender, but sometimes their meaning indicates a gender based on the biological sex of the person or animal the noun represents. All other nouns are considered neuter and are replaced by “it” since they refer to a place, thing or idea.

Question 3

What 4 parts of speech in German indicate gender?

Answer 3

1. All Nouns.
2. Articles.
3. Pronouns.
4. All Adjectives.

Question 4

What are 8 categories of common endings and words that indicate masculine nouns?

Answer 4

1. All nouns referring to male persons that end in -er, -ist, -ling, and -ent.
2. Most nouns that end in -ig, -or, -ismus, -pf, -f, -ast, and -ich.
3. Names of seasons (except das Frühjar, spring).
4. Months.
5. Days.
6. Parts of days (except die Nacht, night).
7. Geographical directions.
8. Weather phenomena.

Question 5

What are 3 categories of common endings and words that indicate feminine nouns?

Answer 5

1. Most two-syllable nouns that end in -e. Some common exceptions are der Name (name), der Käse (cheese), das Auge (eye).
2. All nouns referring to female persons that end in -in.
3. All nouns ending in -ei, -ie, -heit, -keit, -shaft, -ung, -ion, -tät, -ur, -ik, and -a.

Question 6

What are 4 categories of common endings and words that indicate neuter nouns?

Answer 6

1. All nouns ending in -lein and -chen.
2. All nouns ending in -um, -ium, and -tum.
3. All nouns beginning with Ge-.
4. Verb infinitives used as nouns (gerunds).