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- An easier and a better way to…
An easier and a better way to memorize genders in German??
I am so confused about the genders. I forget again and again that what is masculine or feminine or neuter. Is there any way, an easier way to memorize them??
14 Comments
a tip i heard is that instead of memorizing the word, memorize the gender of the word, too. for example, instead of learning the word "frau" or the word "mann", try learning "die frau" and "der mann" instead.
That's funny, in Afrikaans it's, die man, die vrou en die kind. Alles is die whatever.
They need to be memorised. Memrise is better for cramming and complements Duolingo very well in this regard.
Furthermore, You can use the following list of word endings and their associated gender as a rough guide:
masculine: -ig , -ling, -or, -ismus
Feminine: -ei, -keit, -ung, -tät, -ik, -heit, -schaft, -ion
neuter: -um, -lein, -tum, -ma, -ment, -chen
This list itself can be pressed into three Mnemonics. Memorise these three words, and you should be fine most of the times:
Der Iglingorismus
Die Eikeitungtätikheitschaftion
Das Umleintummamentchen
Of course, being mnemonics, these make no sense otherwise - Though I might check Prof Nachtigaller's Dictionary.
Edit: included hidden suggestion for reading list, suggested reading level B2.
I've used slightly different ones for 'die' and 'das': Die Heitungkeiteischaftionitätik Das Tumchenmamentiumlein
Of course they're still the same endings, just with a slightly different flow. They've helped me many times!
There are some other general rules, like: Der: Seasons, days of the week, months, most alcoholic beverages (but 'das Bier'), most mountain names
Die: Most plants, names of planes and ships
Das: Diminutives (Mädchen, Fräulein, Hündchen), nouns from verbs and adjectives (Essen, Böse), colours, most metals, most elements (six exceptions),
Just remember there are a lot of exceptions that don't fit into this pattern. It's a good help when you have to guess the gender of a noun, but you still have to memorize them one by one.
Sorry for that.
A German. ;)
1254
There really aren't any secrets to learning a language. It's just repetition ad nauseam. When you learn and repeat the nouns, always include the definite article.
- 2247
Someone has posted some of the rules here, but the better way is to MEMORIZE the gender of each noun so that it is intimately connected with it.
German is complicated. In English it's just the man, the woman, the child.
but thats the confusing thing, because things are so randomly masculine and feminine and neuter.
