GrammarB1· Menschen & Berufe
Die n-Deklination
Weak masculine nouns
Kartoffel · your teacher
Hi! Let's look at this one together — step by step, no rush.
From what you know
Der Kollege ist nett.becomesIch frage den Kollegen.6 parts · about 5 min
1What & when
In one line
In one lineWeak nouns take -n or -en everywhere except the singular: den Kollegen.
1
Before
Der Kunde wartet.
Watch the sentence change …
Outside the , the takes -n: den Kunden.
„Ich rufe den Kunden an.“ — I'll call the customer.
Kartoffel
First, what is it?
In the and , most nouns only change their : der Chefbecomesden Chef. A small group changes the noun as well: it adds -n or -en. These are mostly words for people: der Kollegebecomesden Kollegen. Course books call them the , or 'weak nouns'.
Kartoffel
And when do you need it? More often than you'd think:
Menschen & BerufeYou need it whenever you talk to or about the people you work with. You introduce den neuen Kollegen, help dem Kunden on the phone, look for einen Praktikanten or write to Herrn Seidl. The people you meet on your first day at work are often exactly these nouns: Kollege, Kunde, Praktikant, Student, Herr.
Tap to answer