N-declension
die N-Deklination (schwache Nomen)
The N-Deklination is a group of masculine nouns that add -n or -en in every case except the Nominativ.
Some masculine nouns in German are considered “weak”: everywhere except the Nominativ (the subject form) they get an -n (or -en) on the end: der Junge -> den Jungen.
Right now: nouns that take -n everywhere
ShortcutMost nouns change only through the article in the Akkusativ or Dativ (den Tisch). But words in the N-Deklination group also take -n or -en on their own ending, next to the article.
Ich sehe den Jungen.
I see the boy. (not den Junge)
Das ist das Auto des Studenten.
This is the student’s car. (not des Students)
This rule applies in every case except the Nominativ (the subject form): Akkusativ, Dativ and Genitiv.
English does this too, with pronouns (sort of)
English has almost no cases left, but pronouns still change their own ending: he → him, who → whom. German usually shows the case through the article (der -> den). But for N-Deklination words the noun itself changes too, a bit like he → him.
| Case | Normal noun (der Hund) | N-Deklination (der Junge) |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativ (subject) | der Hund | der Junge |
| Akkusativ (direct object) | den Hund | den Jungen |
| Dativ (indirect object, “to”) | dem Hund | dem Jungen |
| Genitiv (“of”, possession) | des Hundes | des Jungen |
As you may have noticed, Junge took -n even though it is not a plural. It is only a case ending.
Table: which nouns belong to this group?
The words in the N-Deklination group share two features: apart from das Herz they are all masculine (der), and most of them describe people or animals. There are a few inanimate exceptions such as der Name, der Gedanke, der Buchstabe (Genitiv in -ns: des Namens).
| Category | Example words | Akkusativ form |
|---|---|---|
| Masculines ending in -e | Junge, Kollege, Kunde, Löwe | den Jungen, den Kollegen |
| Ending in -ent | Student, Präsident, Assistent | den Studenten, den Präsidenten |
| Ending in -ist / -at | Tourist, Polizist, Soldat | den Touristen, den Soldaten |
| Exceptions | Herr, Mensch, Nachbar, Bär | den Herrn, den Menschen, den Nachbarn |
Das Herz (heart) is the only neuter exception: in the Akkusativ it takes no ending (das Herz), the Dativ is dem Herzen and the Genitiv is des Herzens.
Trap: expecting -s in the Genitiv
Applying the Genitiv rule to N-Deklination words
Normal masculine words take -s or -es in the Genitiv (possession) (des Vaters). N-Deklination words do not take -s; they take -n / -en as always (Exception: a few words like der Name and der Gedanke take both -n and -s in the Genitiv: des Namens).
Das Auto des Studentes
Wrong. -es is for normal words.
Das Auto des Studenten
Correct.
Die Tasche des Herrs
Wrong.
Die Tasche des Herrn
Correct (the word Herr is special and takes only -n).
What you just learned
Wir besuchen heute einen alten ___ (Mensch).
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Menschen — Mensch is one of the exception words and takes -en in the Akkusativ.
Das Büro des Präsidentes — This usage is grammatically correct.
Show the answer
False. "Präsident" is an N-Deklination word, so in the Genitiv it must take "-en", not "-es": "des Präsidenten".
Ich frage den ___ nach dem Weg.
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Polizisten — Polizist (-ist) belongs to the N-Deklination group. In the Akkusativ it takes -en.
The part nobody mentions: it looks like the plural
The -n/-en ending that N-Deklination adds to the word is the same as the word’s plural form. So "den Studenten" can mean both "the student" (singular Akkusativ) and "to the students" (plural Dativ). You can only tell which one is meant from the context of the sentence. (For the plural Akkusativ, "the students", you say "die Studenten".)
Build the sentence yourself
Tap the words and put them in order. This is the hardest part of German — and there are no options to pick from, you build it.
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tap the words
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tap the words
Know this before the test
The core of the topic in three lines, then the mistakes people make most often.
- Only masculine and alive
Almost all of these words have the article "der" and stand for a person or an animal (those ending in -e, -ent, -ist, -at).
der Junge, der Student, der Polizist
Ich frage den Kollege.
Ich frage den Kollegen.
Because it is the Akkusativ (den), the N-Deklination word needs an -n added.
Test yourself
Tap an answer — we will look at why together.
Ich frage den nach dem Weg.
I’m asking the policeman the way.
Siehst du den dort?
Do you see the boy (Junge) over there?
Das ist der Schreibtisch des .
This is my colleague’s (Kollege) desk.
Ich spreche mit dem .
I’m talking to the student (Student).
Der Hund beißt den .
The dog is biting the neighbour (Nachbar).
Das Paket gehört Müller.
The parcel belongs to Mr Müller.
Practice done — –
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N-declension worksheet
This whole page — tables, traps, examples — as one PDF. Download it, print it, run through it before the exam.
Related topics
Nouns
das Haus · die Haustür
German nouns (Substantive) are the words that name things; they are always capitalised and carry a gender: das Haus, die Haustür.
der · die · das
read the ending, not the word
Stop memorising der/die/das one word at a time; read the ending instead.
Genitiv
des · der · wegen · trotz
The Genitiv is the German case of possession, and certain prepositions also require it: des Mannes, der Frau, trotz des Regens.