N-Deklination

A2 — Nomen

Masculine nouns that add -(e)n in all cases except nominative singular

Can decline weak masculine nouns in all cases

Examples

Ich kenne den Studenten gut. — I know the student well.
Der Arzt hilft dem Patienten. — The doctor helps the patient.
Können Sie dem Herrn helfen? — Can you help the gentleman?
Der Junge spielt mit dem Nachbarn. — The boy plays with the neighbor.

NounsA2

N-Deklination

Masculine nouns that add -(e)n in all cases except nominative singular

Learning Goal

Can decline weak masculine nouns in all cases

Exam Skills:ReadingWriting

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Ich kenne den Studenten gut.

I know the student well.

Der Arzt hilft dem Patienten.

The doctor helps the patient.

Können Sie dem Herrn helfen?

Can you help the gentleman?

Der Junge spielt mit dem Nachbarn.

The boy plays with the neighbor.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

A group of masculine nouns adds -(e)n in every case except nominative singular.

	Standard	N-Deklination
Nom.	der Student	der Student
Akk.	den Student	den Studenten
Dat.	dem Student	dem Studenten
Gen.	des Students	des Studenten

Which nouns? Masculine ending in -e (people/animals): der Junge, der Kollege, der Kunde. Foreign: -ant, -ent, -ist, -at, -oge: der Student, der Patient, der Tourist. Plus: der Herr (→Herrn), der Mensch, der Nachbar.

Exception: der Name, der Buchstabe, der Gedanke add -n but -ns in genitive.

Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Forgetting -en in acc.: ✗ den Student → ✓ den Studenten.
Applying to non-N nouns: Freund is NOT N-declension.
Herr → Herrn: ✗ für den Herr → ✓ für den Herrn.

Common Error Patterns

Wrong grammatical gender assigned to noun

Learn nouns with their articles (der/die/das) from the start

Incorrect plural ending or umlaut

Review the 5 plural patterns: -e, -er, -en, -s, and no change

Wrong case ending on noun or article

Practice case tables and identify subject/object/indirect object in sentences

Ich kenne den Studenten gut.

I know the student well.

Acc.: der Student → den Studenten.

Der Arzt hilft dem Patienten.

The doctor helps the patient.

Dat.: der Patient → dem Patienten.

Können Sie dem Herrn helfen?

Can you help the gentleman?

Der Herr → dem Herrn (only -n).

Der Junge spielt mit dem Nachbarn.

The boy plays with the neighbor.

Dat.: der Nachbar → dem Nachbarn.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises

A2 Course

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Frequently asked questions

When is N-Deklination used?: A group of masculine nouns adds -(e)n in every case except nominative singular.
How is N-Deklination formed?: Which nouns? Masculine ending in -e (people/animals): der Junge, der Kollege, der Kunde . Foreign: -ant, -ent, -ist, -at, -oge : der Student, der Patient, der Tourist . Plus: der Herr (→Herrn), der Mensch, der Nachbar . Exception: der Name, der Buchstabe, der Gedanke add -n but -ns in genitive.
What are common mistakes with N-Deklination?: Forgetting -en in acc.: ✗ den Student → ✓ den Student en . Applying to non-N nouns: Freund is NOT N-declension. Herr → Herrn: ✗ für den Herr → ✓ für den Herrn .

Standard

N-Deklination

Nom.

der Student

Akk.

den Student

den Studenten

Dat.

dem Student

dem Studenten

Gen.

des Students

des Studenten

Frequently asked questions

When is N-Deklination used?

A group of masculine nouns adds -(e)n in every case except nominative singular.

How is N-Deklination formed?

Which nouns? Masculine ending in -e (people/animals): der Junge, der Kollege, der Kunde . Foreign: -ant, -ent, -ist, -at, -oge : der Student, der Patient, der Tourist . Plus: der Herr (→Herrn), der Mensch, der Nachbar . Exception: der Name, der Buchstabe, der Gedanke add -n but -ns in genitive.

What are common mistakes with N-Deklination?

Forgetting -en in acc.: ✗ den Student → ✓ den Student en . Applying to non-N nouns: Freund is NOT N-declension. Herr → Herrn: ✗ für den Herr → ✓ für den Herrn .