Tricky Masculine Nouns in German

German is a pretty rule-heavy language but as with any rules, there are always exceptions. In this article, well dive into masculine nouns that have irregular endings. Masculine Nouns Ending in e Most German nouns ending in -e are feminine. But there are some very common e-ending masculine nouns — sometimes referred to as weak nouns. Many of them derived from adjectives. Here are a few common examples: der alte: old mander beamte: civil servantder deutsche: male Germander Franzose: Frenchmander fremde: strangerder gatte: male spouseder kollege: colleagueder kunde: customerder junge: boyder riese: giantder verwandte: relative Almost all such masculine nouns ending in -e (der Kà ¤se being a rare exception) add an -n ending in the genitive and plural. They also add an -n ending in any case other than the nominative — for example, the accusative, dative, and genitive cases (den/dem kollegen, des kollegen). But there are a few more variations on this ending theme. Some Masculine Nouns Add ens in the Genitive Another small group of German masculine nouns ending in -e requires an unusual ending in the genitive case. While most German masculine nouns add -s or -es in the genitive, these nouns add -ens instead. This group includes​: der  name/des namens: of the nameder glaube/des glaubens: of the beliefder buchstabe/des buchstabens: of the letter, referring to the alphabetder friede/des friedens: of the  peaceder funke/des funkens: of the sparkder same/des samens: of the seedder wille/des willens: of the  will Masculine Nouns Referring to Animals, People, Titles, or Professions This group of common masculine nouns includes some that end in -e (der là ¶we, lion), but there are also other typical endings: -ant (der kommandant), -ent (der prà ¤sident), -r (der bà ¤r), -t (der architekt). As you can see, these German nouns often resemble the same word in English, French, or other languages. For nouns in this group, you need to add an -en ending in any case other than the nominative: Er sprach mit dem Prà ¤sidenten. (dative) Nouns That Add -n, -en   Some nouns add an n, en, or another ending in any case other than the nominative.   (AKK.) Kennst du den Franzosen? Do you know the Frenchman? (DAT.) Was hat sie  dem  Jungen  gegeben? What did she give the boy? (GEN.) Das ist der Name des Herrn. Thats the gentlemans name. Other Irregular German Masculine Nouns Endings shown are for (1) the genitive/accusative/dative and (2) the plural. der alte:  old man (-n, -n)der architekt:  architect (-en, -en)der automat: vending machine (-en, -en)der bà ¤r  bear: (-en, -en) Often  des bà ¤rs  in informal genitive usage.der bauer:  farmer, peasant; yokel (-n, -n)der beamte:  civil servant (-n, -n)der bote:  messenger (-n, -n)der bursche:  boy, lad; fellow, guy (-n, -n)der Deutsche:  male German (-n, -n)der einheimische:  native, local (-n, -n)der erwachsene:  adult (-n, -n)der Franzose: Frenchman (-n, -n)der fremde:  stranger (-n, -n)der fà ¼rst:  prince (-en, -en)der  gatte:  male spouse (-n, -n)der gefangene:  prisoner (-n, -n)der gelehrte:  scholar (-n, -n)der graf:  count (-en, -en)der heilige:  saint (-n, -n)der held:  hero (-en, -en)der herr:  gentleman, lord (-n, -en)der hirt:  herdsman (-en, -en)der kamerad:  comrade (-en, -en)der  kollege:  colleague (-n, -n)der kommandant:  commander (-en, -en)der kunde:  customer (-n, -n)der là ¶we:  lion; Leo (astrol.) ( -n, -n)der mensch:  person, human being (-en, -en)der nachbar:  neighbor (-n, -n) Often the -n ending is only used in the genitive singular.der junge:  boy (-n, -n)der kà ¤se:  cheese (-s, -)  The plural is usually  kà ¤sesorten.der planet:  planet (-en, -en)der prà ¤sident:  president (-en, -en)der prinz:  prince (-en, -en)der riese: giant (-n, -n)der soldat:  soldier (-en, -en)der tor:  fool, idiot (-en, -en)der verwandte:  relative (-n, -n) A final comment about these special masculine nouns. In common, everyday German (casual versus more formal register), the genitive -en or -n endings are sometimes replaced by an -es or -s. In some cases, the accusative or dative endings are also dropped.