German TutorAndroid app ↗Capitalize every noun
German nouns are capitalized, not only names: “das Buch”, “die Schule”, and “ein Apfel”.
ARTICLES & NOUNS · A1–A2
Nomen: Build words you can use.
Understand German noun capitalization, gender, plurals, and the little clues hidden in word endings.
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THE SHORT VERSION
Nomen, made clear.
Start with these three ideas. Then test them in real German sentences.
Learn gender with each noun
The singular article is part of the word you need to remember: der Apfel, die Zeitung, das Haus. A suffix like -ung often points to feminine gender.
Plural is not one fixed ending
German plurals vary: Buch → Bücher, Kind → Kinder, Auto → Autos. Learn the plural with the singular noun.
SEE THE DIFFERENCE
das Buch → die Bücher → plural adds umlaut + -er
das Auto → die Autos → plural adds -s
das Kind → die Kinder → plural adds -er
The plural article is die in nominative and accusative; dative plural has den.A CLOSER LOOK
Read a noun as a three-part package
Learn a new noun with its article and plural. This gives you the information needed for articles, adjectives and real sentences.
Common plural patterns
| Pattern | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| -e | der Tag | die Tage |
| umlaut + -er | das Buch | die Bücher |
| -n/-en | die Frau | die Frauen |
| -s | das Auto | die Autos |
| no added ending | der Lehrer | die Lehrer |
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Nouns can be made from other words
German compounds take their gender from the final noun: die Tür gives die Haustür. A nominalized verb is capitalized: das Lesen means “reading”. Capital letters therefore help identify nouns in a sentence.
Try this: A useful vocabulary entry is “das Buch, die Bücher”, not just “Buch”.
For a fuller reference, see the Goethe-Institut German grammar overview ↗.
YOUR NOMEN CHALLENGE
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LEVEL 10 / 6 correct first try
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Nomen, without the confusion.
Are all German nouns capitalized?
Yes. Nouns such as Haus, Schule and Freund begin with a capital letter.
Is there one plural rule?
No. German nouns have several plural patterns, so learn the plural with each noun.
Do plural nouns have der, die or das?
In nominative plural, the definite article is die for nouns of every grammatical gender.