Key points about compound nouns
German uses lots of A noun formed by combining two or more other nouns. - long words made by joining smaller ones together.
A compound noun combines two or more words to create a new meaning:
- eg, Fußball (Fuß + Ball = football).
Compounds can be formed with The name of a thing such as an object, a place or a person. Nouns are often described as naming words., An adjective is a describing word that describes a noun or pronoun., The root of a verb that stays constant during conjugation. or A word such as 'at', 'for', 'with', 'into' or 'from' which is usually followed by a noun or pronoun. They are used to show where something is in place or time..
The last word decides the gender and plural, not the words before it.
Connecting letters
Sometimes connecting letters are needed to form compound nouns. This makes the word sound smoother.
These are usually -e-, -s-, -es-, -n-, -en-, -ens- or -er-.
Examples include:
| Connecting Letter | Compound Noun | Combination of nouns | English definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| -e- | Hundehaus | Hund + Haus | kennel |
| -s- | Arbeitsstunden | Arbeit + Stunden | working hours |
| -es- | Tageslicht | Tag + Licht | daylight |
| -n- | Augenfarbe | Auge + Farbe | eye colour |
| -en- | Menschenrechte | Mensch + rechte | human rights |
| -ens- | Abendessenszeit | Abendessen + Zeit | dinner time |
| -er- | Kinderwagen | Kind + Wagen | pram/pushchair |
Remember:
Spotting how linking letters are used in compound nouns takes practice as there are no strict rules.
Listening practice
Listen to the four sentences in the activity below. For each one, type out the compound noun you hear. Make sure to include the correct connecting letter.
Dropping endings from the first word
The first word sometimes loses an ending when it is combined, especially if it ends in -e or -en.
For example:
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – school book(Schule + Buch). Here the ending e has been omitted.
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – living room (wohnen + Zimmer). Here the ending en has been omitted.
Mini quiz
What are the following compound nouns in German?
Remember: these compound nouns drop the last letter(s) of the first word.
- Schoolbook
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (Schule + Buch – drop the -e)
- Bathroom
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (Baden + Zimmer – drop the -n)
Working out the gender of compound nouns
The gender of the whole compound noun always comes from the last word:
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – dentist. Arzt is a All nouns in German are either masculine, feminine or neuter. word.
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – door of the house. Tür is a All nouns in German are either masculine, feminine or neuter. word.
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. – bedroom. Zimmer is a All nouns in German are either masculine, feminine or neuter. word.
Video
Watch this video about the gender of nouns:
ACTOR: 'Tourismus bringt viel Geld ein'.
DIRECTOR: Cut! 'Nein!'
It's easy to spot masculine nouns because generally they end in '–ismus', '–ist', '-er' or '–ig'.
So: 'der Tourismus.' And action!
ACTOR: 'Der Tourismus bringt viel Geld ein'.
DIRECTOR: 'Wunderbar!'
'Nein!'
Nouns ending in '-schaft', '-ung', '-in', '-keit', or '–heit' will be feminine, so the countryside is 'die Landschaft'.
And action!
'Schnitt!'
A noun ending in '-um', '–chen', '–lein' or '–ment' is neuter.
So, 'das Stadtzentrum', 'das Päckchen', 'das Medikament'.
'Also gut…' Action!
'O je, o je, o je!'
With plural nouns, there is no 'der', 'die', 'das'. It's always 'die'.
Just remember to add the correct plural ending to each noun.
'Der Bahnsteig' becomes 'die Bahnsteige' – the platforms.
'Die Sehenswürdigkeit' becomes 'die Sehenswürdigkeiten' – the sights and 'das Museum' becomes 'die Museen'.
Again please. Action!
ACTOR: 'Die Bahnsteige waren leer'.
'Die Sehenswürdigkeiten waren wunderschön'
'und die Museen waren groß'.
DIRECTOR: 'Perfekt!' That’s a wrap!
Quiz
More on Nouns, determiners and cases
Find out more by working through a topic
- count5 of 15
- count6 of 15
- count7 of 15
- count8 of 15
