Discover how a good German language course can help you learn to use German nouns properly!
It seems odd that so many English-speakers claim they have a problem learning German nouns, since German nouns are so similar to English. Der Hund (dog) sounds a great deal like hound. Das Buch sounds a lot like book. Die Katze sounds like cat; der Doktor sounds like doctor. Many of the first nouns you encounter in most good German language courses sound very much like their English counterparts. How could anyone have trouble learning German nouns when they sound so similar to words we already know?
The biggest problem with learning German nouns isn't with the nouns themselves - it's with the definite article attached to them. In English, we only have one definite article - the. The dog, the book, the cat, the doctor - English is remarkably uncomplicated in that sense. In German, however, you must deal with masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns. Although there are some general hints to determine the gender of a noun (words ending in "e" are often feminine; months and seasons are masculine; most chemical elements are neuter), there's a much easier method of ensuring that you put the right article with the right word, every time.
When you initially learn a new German word, learn the article that goes with it.
That's the trick. Notice that in the first paragraph, we didn't just say that "Hund" sounds a lot like "hound." We coupled the word Hund with its definite article, der. The noun and its article go hand-in-hand, so always learn them together. The trick to learning German nouns really is that simple. And a good German course will reinforces this by teaching you the definite article together with the noun, every time.
But using your noun-article combination correctly is a bit more complicated. In German, the definite article accompanying the noun changes with the way the noun is used - in other words, the definite article may change depending on whether the noun is the subject of the sentence, the direct or indirect object, or a possessive. It may also change when the noun becomes plural. When learning German nouns, the best way to tackle these grammatical intricacies is to learn the rules that apply in every instance - for example, a masculine noun, which takes "der" when it's used as the subject of a sentence, takes "den" when it's used as a direct object. Since you already know that "Hund" is a masculine noun, you'll know what to do.
When you use an innovative German language program, you'll learn all about German's three genders (masculine, feminine, and neuter) and four cases (nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive). You'll learn tips for remembering these essential building blocks of the German language, and guidelines for handling them correctly.
