An Easier Way To Learn German Declensions

12/3/2023 An Easier Way to Learn German Declensions

(https://germanwithlaura.com)
The charts and images used on this website are copyright protected.
Sharing or using these images in public or commercially is prohibited.
Contact me for commercial use (e.g. teaching).
(If you would like to share, share this webpage).
An Easier Way to Learn German

Declensions:
READ THE ARTICLE TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE THIS CHART
Download the All-In-One Declension Chart ‘cheat sheet’ here.

(https://germanwithlaura.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/All-In-One-
Declension-Chart-Patterns-Cheat-Sheet.pdf)
Access My Grammar Course [FREE]
(https://germanwithlaura.com/unlocking-german-grammar-bb/)
Congrats! If you’re searching for ‘declensions’ you’re already far enough along
https://germanwithlaura.com/declension/ 1/38
Congrats! If you re searching for declensions , you re already far enough along
in learning German to know that it’s essential to learn declensions if you want to
get anywhere!
Declensions are probably the aspect of German that historically causes

German-learners the most wailing and gnashing of teeth.
But don’t worry. It turns out that there’s a much simpler way to learn declensions.
And you’re not going to hear about it anywhere but here. So, let’s go!
In this article you’ll learn the following:
the distinctions that matter (and those that don’t) when talking about
declensions
how to work with ONE chart (not 10) for all your declensions needs
basic declensions patterns that bring logic and organization to the
topic
tips, tricks, and shortcuts for always knowing which declension you
need
What You Need To Know

Declensions are vital. The German language as such can’t exist without them.
You can barely say anything beyond hallo without using declensions!
German uses declensions to provide crucial information about the nouns in a

sentence — so that we can know who is doing what to whom.
In this way, English & German are very different.
English is a analytic language: we know who is doing what to whom in a

sentence based on word order.
German is an inflected language: we know who is doing what to whom in a

sentence because of the declensions that ‘flag’ the role (e.g. subject, direct
object) of each noun. Access My Grammar Course [FREE]
The information that is packed into declensions tell us the gender & case of the
noun.
is how we know what role

The case of the noun (https://germanwithlaura.com/noun-cases/)
in the sentence it’s playing. And the gender of the noun
(https://germanwithlaura.com/noun-gender/) is an inseparable feature of the
noun that has to come along for the ride.
Since declensions tell us the gender & case of each noun, declensions change
dependent on if a noun is masculine, feminine, neuter, or plural AND dependent
on if the case is nominative, accusative, dative, or genitive.
Whew! If you’re not already familiar with some of these concepts, this can sound
a little overwhelming. But, don’t worry, we’ll go over this step-by-step!
Why does German use declensions?

Declensions matter because you can barely say anything beyond ja, nein, and
hallo! without working with declensions. They are a big deal!
OK, but why?!
I will answer that question. Let’s first lay some groundwork.
How Sentences Have Meaning

We couldn’t just say The man the child the woman, right?
That’s not a full sentence. It doesn’t have any meaning. It’s missing crucial
elements that tell us how the man, the child, and the woman relate to each
other.
There are different ways of stringing information together so that it makes sense.
How Sentences Work in English

In English, we know “who is doing what to whom” because of word order.
Check out these examples:
The man gives the child to the woman.

The child gives the woman to the man.
Both of these sentences use the exact same components, but the meaning is
changed because the word order is changed!
How Sentences Work in German
In German, however, we don’t know which noun is in which ‘slot’ because of the
word order.
Rather, the words that come in front of nouns indicate “who is doing what
to whom” because of their declensions!
Check out those same two sentences translated to German. The words with
bolded letters that come in front of the nouns are the ones that change — do
you see it?
Der Mann gibt der Frau das Kind. (‘The man gives to the woman the child’)
Dem Mann gibt die Frau das Kind. (‘The woman gives to the man the child’)
In these examples, all of the words with bolded letters on the end are different
forms of ‘the’. The bolded letters themselves (<– the small changes!) are the
declensions.
And that is how the meaning of the sentences changed even though the word
order didn’t!
Declensions, The Smarter Way

Traditionally, German students are introduced to lots and lots of separate charts
for all the words that take declensions.
You’d have all these charts thrown at you:
You d have all these charts thrown at you:
Definite Articles (der, die, das, etc.) (https://germanwithlaura.com/definite-

indefinite-articles/)
Indefinite Articles (ein, eine etc.)
Demonstratives / der-words (dies-, jed-, etc.)
(https://germanwithlaura.com/german-articles/#demonstratives)
Indefinite Pronouns
Relative Pronouns (der, dessen, etc.)
Possessive Pronouns (https://germanwithlaura.com/german-
articles/#possessives)
Possessive Adjectives (mein, dein, etc.)
Strong Adjectives (No Determiner)
Weak Adjectives (With Determiner)
Mixed Adjectives (with ein-word Determiners)
Learning these individual charts can seem deceptively easy – all the work is
done for you – it’s all spelled out. For example, if you need to say ‘the’, there’s a
chart for that!
But almost every chart has 16 words. With 10 charts, that’s up to 160 words to
memorize. OUCH.
The good news is that all these charts have much more in common than not.
That means that it’s possible to combine them all into ONE chart and just
mention a handful of special exceptions — then all our bases are covered!
All-In-One Declensions Chart

Instead of memorizing chart after chart of the many possible solutions, we can
simply memorize the formula which lets us ‘plug in’ any word that needs a
declension and replace ALL of the charts listed above.
It might be a little more work up front, but understanding one chart instead of
Access
charts with My itty
just Grammar
bittyCourse [FREE] is going to help you
memorizing 10 different(https://germanwithlaura.com/unlocking-german-grammar-bb/)
differences
be a better German learner in the long run.
be a better German learner in the long run.
Don’t find yourself being dependent on all these charts! Memorize the principles.
If you do, you’ll be able to ‘plug’ the information into the All-In-One Chart to get
the answer that you need. Soon, you won’t even need this chart!
I’m going to show you how!
How The Chart Works

What all the charts on that long list above have in common are the very last
letters that get put onto the words.
And those letters (-r, -e, -s, -n, -m) are declensions. We add them to the ends of
all those types of words listed above (articles, pronouns, adjectives, etc.) to ‘flag’
the roles of the nouns.
But, again, instead of memorizing 10 charts with the declensions tacked onto all
those different types of words, we can learn smarter, not harder by memorizing
just the declensions themselves.
The All-In-One Declensions Chart lists just the declensions. I will soon also give
you the important step-by-step directions so you know how to properly use it.
But first, check it out!

In the Digging Deeper section below, I will explain all the terms & concepts you
need to know in order to use this All-In-One Chart to replace all 10 of those
charts.
First, we’ll dive deeper into how the chart fits in with understanding declensions.
Digging Deeper
In this section, you will learn how to master declensions with the All-In-One
Declensions Chart. Including:
determiners (including der-words and ein-words)

how to determine noun gender
how to determine noun case
basic declension patterns
rulebreaker plural determiners
zero word determiners
How Declensions Work in German

We’ve established what declensions are: just single letters (-r, -e, -s, -n, -m)
added to the ends of specific words.
And we’ve talked about why declensions are crucial: because they signal the
gender & case of nouns (<– and that’s important because German is an
inflected language).
That leaves us with the topic of Access

how declensions work,
My Grammar Course which we’ll unpack now!
[FREE]
Words that need declensions

We have to put a declension on words that come in front of nouns as part of the
noun phrase.
Remember: A noun phrase would be like 'the bratty kid,' 'a lonely
buffalo,' 'some red flowers,' where 'kid,' 'buffalo,' and 'flowers' are the
nouns and the other words … are what we’re going to talk about!
Now you might be thinking “ah, ok, all those words from that long, scary list of
the conventional 10 charts … articles, pronouns, adjectives, etc.”
Yes and no.
I do mean those words, but we’re going to classify them the smarter, simpler
way:
All the words that come in front of nouns are either

determiners OR adjectives.
Determiners: a, the, some, few, this, etc. that tell us how many of the noun
or which one.
Adjectives: describe some feature of the noun (e.g. big, small, round, flat,
blue).
So, determiners & adjectives are the two types of words (that come in front of
nouns in noun phrases) that take declensions.
‘Plugging’ words into the Chart

In terms of our All-In-One Declensions Chart, you can think of the determiners &
adjectives getting ‘plugged in’ chart, taking the single-letter declensions listed
and tacking it on like a tail. Access My Grammar Course [FREE]
For example, if I need to plug in the determiner this (dies-), dependent on where
in the chart it needs to go, I might get any of these values: dieser, diese, dieses,
diesen, diesem.
Similarly, if I need to plug in the adjective small (klein-), I’d get these values:
kleiner, kleine, kleines, kleinen, kleinem, dependent on where in the chart I need
to take the declension from.
This means that in order to actually pick out the correct declensions, you need
some information!
For starters, you need to know the gender & case of the noun in order to identify
the right area of the chart to work with.
For example, if you’re working with a feminine noun (e.g. Butter) and it’s the
subject in the sentence: The yellow butter tastes delicious, then you know you
need to be in the area where theAccessfeminine column
My Grammar and
Course the nominative row meet
[FREE]
up.
p
But then, you still have two declensions to choose from. Now what?
Types of Declensions
After you’ve got the gender & case of the noun sorted out, there’s still some
more work to do: you have to figure out which declensions you need!
There are 2 types of declensions (you can see this in the All-In-One Declensions
Chart above!):
1. Strong declensions better (but not flawlessly) indicate the gender/case of

the noun because they are the most varied.
2. Weak declensions do not indicate the gender/case of the noun because
they have almost no variation (there are just two options: -e or -en).
All the bolded declensions in the examples below are strong declensions:
Der Mann gibt der Frau das Kind. (‘The man gives to the woman the child’)
Dem Mann gibt die Frau das Kind. (‘The woman gives to the man the child’)
In a very limited number of instances, there might also be no declension at all

(keep reading!)
How to Use Declensions

To properly use declensions in German, you need to know the following:
1. What gender is the noun?

2. What case is the noun supposed to be in?
3. Which (of 4) declension patterns are you using?
If you can answer these questions, you will always know which declension –
strong or weak (or none!) is needed on each determiner and/or adjective.
1. How to Know the Gender of Any

Access My Grammar CourseGerman
[FREE] Noun
One way to wrestle with German noun gender is to simply memorize every noun
12/3/2023
O e ay to est e t Ge a An ou Easier Way to Learn German Declensions
ge de s to s p y e o e e e y ou
connected with either der, die, or das so that you (hopefully) remember what
gender that noun has:
der Mann (the man [masculine])

die Frau (the woman [feminine])
das Kind (the child [neuter])
BUT there are some clever shortcuts that can save you a lot of time.
German noun genders are determined by either by group or by form.
Noun Group (https://germanwithlaura.com/noun-gender/#noun-groups) Examples:
Masculine (der):
Male persons and animals

mountains and mountain ranges
alcoholic and plant-based drinks
Feminine (die):
Female persons and animals

Airplanes, motorcycles, ships
Numerals used as nouns
Neuter (das):
Young persons and baby animals

scientific units & measurements
other parts of speech used as nouns (gerunds, colors, languages, English -
ing forms)
Noun Form (https://germanwithlaura.com/noun-gender/#noun-forms) Examples:
The end of nouns, or, the suffix is what determines the gender of the noun.
There are certain suffixes that are almost exclusively masculine, feminine, and
neuter. Access My Grammar Course [FREE]
Masculine: -ant, -ast, -ich, -ig, -ismus, -ling, -or, -us
Feminine: -a, -anz, -enz, -ei, -ie, -heit, -keit, -ik, -sion, -tion, -sis, -tät, -ung, -
ur, schaft
Neuter: -chen, -lein, -icht, -il, -it, -ma, -ment, -tel, -tum, -um
2. How to Know Which Case to Use

The case of each noun in a sentence indicates what role it is playing in the
sentence and therefore also shows its relationship to (i.e. how it’s interacting
with) the other nouns in the sentence.
Think of the four cases (https://germanwithlaura.com/noun-cases/) as ‘slots’ in

a sentence that we must/may fill up with nouns.
The general rules of thumb are:
The general rules of thumb are:
1. Always fill up the nominative (https://germanwithlaura.com/nominative-

case/#using-the-nominative-case) ‘slot’ first — every sentence needs a
subject!
2. Default to filling up the accusative (https://germanwithlaura.com/accusative-
case/) ‘slot’ next unless…
3. If you’re using a dative (https://germanwithlaura.com/dative-case/) verb,
preposition, or adjective: the associated noun must be in the dative ‘slot’,
not the accusative.
4. You can pretty much forget about the genitive case.
(https://germanwithlaura.com/genitive-case/)
3. Declension Patterns
You can see in these FOUR declension patterns (<– the ONLY four there are,
BTW!) that there is a general preference for using the strong declension as
the first priority:
Pattern #1: determiner takes the strong declension; optional adjective(s) take
the weak .
Pattern #3: adjective(s) — the only pre-noun word(s) present — take the strong
declension.
Pattern #4: determiners (<– only specific plural ‘rule-breaker’ ones

(https://germanwithlaura.com/declension/#plural-determiners)) take the strong
declension (just like pattern #1) … but the optional adjectives here do, too.
That leaves us with just pattern #2, which is an exception to this general
preference for the strong declension taking priority.

Oddball Pattern #2
Pattern #2 is for a handful of exception instances that apply ONLY if an ein-word

determiner is used in one of three specific instances.
EIN-word Determiners: ein(a), irgendein (any), kein (not a / any), and

all possessives (https://germanwithlaura.com/possessive-adjectives/)
TIP: if the determiner is not an ein-word, it’s a der-word by default, e.g.

welch- (which), dies- (this), jed- (every), jen- (that)
The distinction between ein-word and der-word determiners matters ONLY in

the:
masculine nominative
neuter nominative
neuter accusative
Normally, the strong declension is used first and a weak declension comes
second, if at all. This is true for der-words AND ein-words! Usually, they are
lumped together as just ‘determiners.’
But … only ein-words only in those 3 spots behave differently by taking no

declension. Access My Grammar Course [FREE]
Then, if there is an adjective (or multiple), they take the strong declension.
Another way to put it is that pattern #2 is simply pattern #1 shifted over one
spot to the left! … But, again, only for ein-word determiners in 3 specific
instances.
Using the All-in-One Declensions Chart

Again, if you know your noun’s gender & case and which declensions pattern
you’re using, you will be able to pinpoint exactly which declension (strong / weak
/ none) you need.
Here it is again: the only declensions chart you’ll ever need!
Our declensions rules & patterns from above are easy to see reflected in this
chart.
After you know the gender & case of your noun and find that intersection (of row
& column) of the chart, you have to pick between 2-3 declensions options for the
determiner and/or adjectives.
For example, let’s say you want to say “The young child is tall!”
Step 1: Child = Kind, which is a neuter noun

Step 2: Kind is the subject of the sentence, so we need the nominative case.
Step 3: If we intersect the neuter (green) with the nominative row, we have 3
declension options:
Neut.
Nom. s e
Then, you just need to pick the correct declensions of the three. And that’s
where we circle back to our 4 declension patterns.
We can take the ideas of the declension rules & patterns and rephrase them a
little so that they work as directions for how to use the All-In-One Declensions
Chart.
Directions for Using This Chart

Basic Principles:
Whatever type of word (<– determiner or adjective) comes first (or alone), it
takes the declension listed under .
Since determiners & adjectives don’t mix, if a determiner is in the strong
declension spot, any adjectives that follow have to scoot over to the next
spot (weak declensions).
As discussed above, do you see the 3 exception instances when we need to use
declension pattern #2 IF (and only if!) an ein-word determiner is being used?
Yes! The 3 listed under the masculine nominative, neuter nominative, and
neuter accusative. Access My Grammar Course [FREE]
Even with the 3 exception cases, these same basic principles apply, just shifted
over a position!
Basic Principles (continued):
If you have an ein-word determiner in one of the 3 exception spots, it takes

no declension.
Any adjective(s) that follow must then be in the very next spot over, which is
the strong declension spot!
Something is missing from this chart!
What seems to be missing in the All-In-One Chart?
That’s right, a lot of ‘e’s!
Because the All-In-One Chart replaces a whopping 10 different charts, we have

to boil declensions down to their very basics.
In our All-In-One Chart, we’ve listed just the basic declensions shared in
common between these 10 total charts you usually have to learn (but no longer
have to — hooray!).
And the basics are this: the very last letter.
That is why the All-In-One Declensions Chart has just one letter in each spot.
What you need to remember is:
almost always add an ‘e’ between the ‘root’ determiner /

adjective and the declension.
When to Add ‘e’
Let’s say ‘this red apple’ in all four cases:

dies- (this) is a ‘root’ determiner
rot (red) is a ‘root’ adjective
rot- (red) is a root adjective
Apfel is a masculine noun: der Apfel
NOTE: the ‘e’s are capitalized so you can clearly see them being added in each
time. The declensions are bolded as always.
nominative: diesEr rote Apfel

accusative: diesEn rotEn Apfel
dative: diesEm rotEn Apfel
genitive: diesEs rotEn Apfels
Does it make more sense now when I say that you almost always have to add
an ‘e’ between the root determiner / adjective and the needed declensions?
The dash at the end of ‘root’ determiners & adjectives is where we add all the
different declensions, dependent on the gender & case of the following noun.
Just the dies- part is what actually carries the meaning of ‘this’. Likewise, just
rot- means ‘red’. But without the declensions reflecting gender/case, we couldn’t
use ‘this’ or ‘red’ in a German sentence.
When NOT to add ‘e’
Did you notice above the one time that we did NOT add an ‘e’ before putting on
the declension?
Yep. Here it is: diesEr rote Apfel
Similarly, to say the dark plum, there are no inserted ‘e’s: die dunkle Pflaume.
Have you figured out why?
YES! It’s very simple: if an ‘e’ is the declension itself, don’t insert another one!
So, where in our chart is this relevant?

feminine nominative & accusative strong & weak declensions
feminine nominative & accusative, strong & weak declensions
plural nominative & accusative, strong declensions
masculine nominative, weak declension
neuter nominative & accusative, weak declension.

Do you see it in the chart?
All the spots with an ‘e’ listed as the declensions do NOT need an extra one.
Insert an ‘e’ just in front of all the consonants (m, n, r, s)!
Example
Let’s look at a two-part example using basic declension pattern

(https://germanwithlaura.com/declension/#declined-nouns) #1: determiner +
adjective.
Be sure to notice the added ‘e’s before a consonant declension (-r, -n, -m, -s),
but not before an -e declension!
Part 1: determiner
Let’s use ein (‘a’) in a few gender/caseAccess My Grammar

combos. That’s anCourse [FREE]
important little word!
(https://germanwithlaura.com/definite-indefinite-articles/) See how the All-In-One Chart
See how the All In One Chart
(https://germanwithlaura.com/definite indefinite articles/)
helps you know exactly which declensions to put on.
Remember, with our standard rules, our determiner will take the strong
declension. BUT specifically ein-word determiners will take no declension in just
3 instances.
Masculine Nominative: ein (no declension: 1 of 3 exception spots)

Masculine Accusative: einen (strong declension)
Feminine Nominative: eine (strong declension)
Feminine Dative: einer (strong declension)
Neuter Accusative: ein (no declension: 1 of 3 exception spots)
Neuter Genitive: eines (strong declension)
Part 2: adjective
Now let’s put braun (brown) after each of those instances of ‘ein’ from above.
The adjective will be shifted over one spot from the ein-word determiner! Most of
the time, that will mean a weak declension. But in our 3 exception instances,
braun will need to take a strong declension.
Masculine Nominative: brauner (strong declension: 1 of 3 exception spots)

Masculine Accusative: braunen (weak declension)
Feminine Nominative: braune (weak declension)
Feminine Dative: braunen (weak declension)
Neuter Accusative: braunes (strong declension: 1 of 3 exception spots)
Neuter Genitive: braunen (weak declension)
Well done! I hope you’re really starting to see how this All-In-One Declensions
Chart will support your German-learning. Learning German can be efficient,
effective, and fun after all.
Oddballs
There are a couple instances in which the debate between inserting an ‘e’ or not
doesn’t quite cut it. Do you know what I’m talking about?
Well done. When we’re dealing with definite articles

(https://germanwithlaura.com/definite-indefinite-articles/#what-are-definite-
articles)(‘the’), sometimes we have to insert a different vowel!
Think of it this way:
All our definite articles (‘the’) are 3-letter words that start with ‘d’ (<– the
‘root’).
All of them end with whatever the strong declension is (<– standard rule).
Most of them have an ‘e’ inserted in the middle (der, den, dem, des)
So … which versions of ‘the’ take different vowels?
feminine nominative & accusative: die, with an ‘i’

plural nominative & accusative: die
neuter nominative & accusative: das, with an ‘a’
Summary
There are two special words you need to remember: die and das.
These versions of ‘the’ take different vowels in front of the regular

declensions.
And this applies to just 6 (out of 35) spots on the chart.
Then, remember that all weak declensions that are just -e won’t take an extra
‘e’.
That leaves all the rest of the time: insert an ‘e’ between the ‘root’ word
(determiner or adjective) before putting on the supplied declension from the
chart.
Special Situations Access My Grammar Course [FREE]

The All-In-One Declensions Chart can feel a little complicated until you get the
The All-In-One Declensions Chart can feel a little complicated until you get the
hang of it, I know.
Trust me: learning how to work with it will still save you heaps of time and energy
compared to working with ten different charts!
There are several last things you need to learn about in order to use the All-In-
One Declensions Chart like a master:
1. Nouns themselves that take declensions

2. Zero Words (special determiners that don’t ever take declensions!)
3. Certain words that have multiple functions
4. A special rule-breaking declensions pattern used with plural nouns
5. The word ‘all’ is a bit in a class all its own.
Special Situation #1: Declined Nouns

Dative plural nouns
ALL plural nouns in the dative case add an -n to the end of them IF there’s not
one there already OR unless the plural form is -s (e.g. with foreign nouns):
nominative plural: die Kinder (the children) → dative plural: den Kindern
BUT
nominative plural: die Wagen (the cars) → dative plural: den Wagen
nominative plural: die Autos (also ‘the cars’) → dative plural: den Autos
Here’s another example with a dative plural noun.

(https://germanwithlaura.com/dative-case/#declension-pattern-2)
Masculine & neuter nouns in the genitive case
In the genitive case only, masculine & neuter nouns take an ‘s’ or ‘es’ at the end
of them (https://germanwithlaura.com/genitive-case/#declined-genitive-nouns):
des Vaters, des Kindes.
‘Weak’ masculine nouns
There is no good reason why the terminology is ‘weak’ masculine nouns, but
anyway, here is how it works:
There is a group of masculine nouns that take an -en declension in every case
except in the nominative, for example:
nominative: der Student

accusative: den Studenten (<– singular! compare with die Studenten,
plural!)
dative: dem Studenten (<– singular! compare with den Studenten, plural!)
genitive: des Studenten (<– note: NO extra -(e)s for these ‘weak’ nouns in
the genitive!*)
Most of the ‘weak’ masculine nouns refer to male people or animals. Notice that
many nouns end with -e OR with a suffix of foreign origin (e.g. -arch, -ist, -om):
der Bauer (farmer)

der Affe (monkey)
der Löwe (lion)
der Experte (expert)
der Junge (boy)
der Kunde (customer)
der Nachbar (neighbor)
der Russe (Russian)
der Jude (Jew)
der Monarch (monarch)
der Komponist (composer)
der Astronom (astronomer)
Mensch (person)
Bär (bear)
Christ (male Christian)
Herr (sir)
Elefant (elephant)(https://germanwithlaura.com/unlocking-german-grammar-bb/)
Ba er (farmer)
Bauer (farmer)
Held (hero)
NOTE: Other less common examples include Prinz (prince), Narr (fool), Ochs
(ox), Fink (finch), Spatz (sparrow), Pfau (peacock).
Of course, all of those nouns ^^ would have female variants, too; but those do
not apply to our special situation! (Read more on female noun variants
(https://germanwithlaura.com/noun-gender/#noun-groups)).
*There is a short list of ‘weak’ masculine nouns that add the -n and THEN an -s
in the genitive, as per regular rules:
der Buchstabe (letter of the alphabet)

der Friede (peace)
der Funke (spark)
der Gedanke (thought)
der Glaub (belief)
der Name (name)
der Same (seed)
der Wille (will)
There is even ONE neuter noun that is semi-‘weak’: das Herz (nom)→ das Herz
(acc) → dem Herzen (dat) → des Herzens (gen)
Notes:
‘weak’ masculine nouns do NOT decline if they are used without a

determiner, e.g. Das Problem war für Arzt und Patient verblüffend (The
problem was puzzling to [both the] doctor and [the] patient).
of course, in colloquial German, many ‘weak’ masculine nouns are treated
as totally normal nouns (i.e. not declined), e.g. der Student → den Student
→ dem Student → des Students.
Special Situation #2:

https://germanwithlaura.com/declension/
Zero Words
24/38
12/3/2023
Special Situation #2: Zero Words
An Easier Way to Learn German Declensions
ZERO WORDS: a special set of determiners that takes zero (i.e. no)
declensions, no matter where in the chart they are used.
Think of the three special instances on our Chart where there is a listed.
That symbol reminds us that specifically ein-word determiners will take no

declensions in those spots (masculine nominative, neuter nominative, neuter
accusative) and that adjectives (if present) will take the strong declension.
Well, now just imagine that you can use a zero word anywhere in the Chart and
it functions the same way:
RULE: If using a zero word (which takes no declension), any following

adjectives take strong declensions.
There are a few strictly Zero Words used with singular nouns:
ein bisschen / ein wenig (a little)

etwas (some)
nichts (nothing)
genug (enough)
lauter (only, nothing but)
dergleichen / derlei (suchlike, that kind / sort of)
And a strictly Zero Word used with plural nouns:
ein paar (a couple of, a few)
Examples:
Bitte schenk mir etwas heißes Wasser ein! (Please pour me [into my cup] a
little hot water!).
Auf genug Zeit kommt es nicht Accessdran (It doesn’t
My Grammar Coursehave anything to do with
[FREE]
having enough time).
12/3/2023
g g ) An Easier Way to Learn German Declensions
Ein paar fleißige Studenten meldeten sich (A couple hard-working students

raised their hands).
There are some determiners that function as zero words in the singular, but as
determiners (that do take declensions!) in the plural, which leads straight into
our next special situation:
Special Situation #3: Words With Multiple Functions

There is a large body of German words that can function differently —
sometimes as a determiner / pronoun, other times as an adjective, or as a zero
word (always in the singular except for all- which can be a zero word in the
singular OR plural → keep reading!).
Of course, the role of the word in the given phrase impacts which declension (if
any) it must take!
Determiner / Zero Word
As you can see in the following huge table, here are several words that function
as zero words in the singular AND as determiners in the plural:
wenig(-) (a little)
viel(-) (a lot)
manch(-) (many)
solch(-) (such)
all(-) (all)*
*Also functions as a zero word in the plural (See below for more).


TABLE CORRECTION: ‘Zero Words’ used in the singular are followed by

modifiers taking the strong declension except that solch- and manch- may be
followed by an ein-word, which must follow our regular rules regarding
declension pattern #1 vs. #2.
So, for example, one would say ‘Solch ein Fehler wird nie wieder vorkommen.’
(declension pattern #2) but ‘Solch eine Überraschung kommt nicht oft vor!’
(declension pattern #1).
Likewise, one would say ‘Manch ein Mann versteht das nicht,’ but ‘Manch eine
Frau versteht das nicht.’
Here are a few examples of these words functioning as zero words:
Mit wenig öder Arbeit kannst du …

(You can … with [just a] little tedious work).
Viel flauschiger Schnee liegt auf dem Dach
(A lot of fluffy snow lay on top of the roof).
Solch ein Fehler wird nicht wieder vorkommen.
(Such a mistake won’t happen again!).
And here are some similar examples, but with the words functioning as plural
determiners:
Wenige Arbeiter werden gebraucht.

(Few workers are needed).
Viele Schneestürme werden übers Wochenende erwartet.
(Many snowstorms are expected Access Myover the weekend).
Grammar Course [FREE]
Solche Fehler mache ich immer wieder!
(I’m repeatedly making such mistakes [as these]!)
Determiners / Pronouns
Notice that anything listed in the table as a determiner is also a pronoun!
Determiners / Pronouns will all take strong declensions as per our standard
rules & basic declension pattern #1 that follows from them.
Determiners vs. Pronouns is a worthy distinction in that they each play a

different grammatical role in a given sentence.
For example:
Determiner: Solche Schuhe finde ich ganz schön (I think shoes such as
these are really lovely).
Pronoun: Welche Schuhe möchtest du? –Solche! (Which shoes do you
want? –Ones like these!)
BUT! Determiners vs. Pronouns take the same declensions (like you can
see in the above examples ^^) except in a handful of special instances
(covered soon).
So, for our purposes (<– since we’re not linguists), we don’t really care about the
technical distinction. We care about the functional sameness!
The ONLY time the determiners vs. pronouns distinction matters is with
ein-words: ein, kein, irgendein, and all of the possessives.
Ein-words used as determiners decline using our special 3 no declension

instances listed in our All-In-One Chart:

But ein-words used as pronouns will use ALL the regular, strong declensions —
no exceptions!
Example:
Determiner: Einen blauen Rock hätte ich gerne! (I’d like a blue skirt)
Pronoun: So einen! [points to a blue skirt] (One [replacing ‘a blue skirt’] like
this!).
Determiner / Adjective
You can see the in massive table that there are also many words that can
function as either a plural determiner or as an adjective (in front of a plural
noun).
NOTE: the determiner ein is our only exception case: it is a singular, not plural,
determiner; as an adjective, it works like this: Das eine Buch, das ich dieses
J h l h b
https://germanwithlaura.com/declension/ (Th b kI d thi ) 30/38
Jahr gelesen habe … (The one book I read this year …)
A plural determiner or a stand-alone (declensions pattern #2) adjective

would take the strong declension.
BUT! If the adjective follows a determiner (declensions pattern #1), it will

need a weak declension!
Examples:
Viele Studenten rauchen

(Many students smoke).
Die vielen Studenten die rauchen….
(The many students who smoke …)
Special Situation #4: Plural Determiners

When we deal with singular nouns, we have to split determiners into 2 groups:
ein-words and der-words (remember: this distinction matters only in our 3
exception spots — the rest of the time, a determiner is just a determiner!).
In the plural, we still have two distinct categories of determiners: one that always
follows the rules (like der-words) and one that is all about exceptions (like ein-
words). ← For more discussion on this point, read my study tips below.
RULE: Regular Determiners take strong declensions. Any following

adjective(s) take weak.
Regular Determiners:
All- (all [covered in depth below!])

Welch- (which)
Irgendwelch- (any)
Die/ Der (the)
Solch- (such)
Beid- (both) Access My Grammar Course [FREE]
Sämtlich- (‘each and every’ → more defineable than ‘all’)
Kein- (no, not any)

Possessives (e.g. my, your, etc.)
Now, did you notice some words in that huge table that have an * in front of
them? Here, look again:

Those * in the table mark the rulebreaking plural determiners!
RULE: Rulebreaker Determiners also take strong declensions (as per

normal) BUT they require that any following adjective(s) take strong
declensions, too (<– which is weird).
Example: Einige amerikanische (NOT einige amerikanischeN) Studenten

lernen Deutsch (Some American students learn German).
In contrast to the regular determiners that are similar to the concept of der-
words, these rulebreakers are akin to ein-words: they are indefinite, or, in other
words, more vague.
Rulebreaker Determiners:
etlich- (quite a lot of)

verschieden- (various, different)
zahlreich- (numerous)
folgend- (following)
manch- (some, many)
wenig- (few)
ander- (other, different)
einig- (some)
mehrer- (multiple)
viel- (a lot of)
TIP: Because the plural dative strong & weak declensions are identical,
you don’t in that instance have to worry about if a determiner is regular
or a rulebreaker -- it doesn’t make a difference.
Special Situation #5: all-

Like all zero words in the table, all- can function also function as a regular
determiner / pronoun.
What’s weird about its zero word status, though, is that all- can be used as a
zero word in the singular or in the plural.
Zero Word Examples:
In the singular:
All das schlechte Wetter macht mir schlechte Laune!
Notice: all-, of course, has no declension. The determiner takes the strong
declension and the adjective the weak one listed for the neuter nominative
and as per declension pattern #1.
In the plural (note the optional ‘e’):
All(e) unaufrichtige Angebote lehne ich ab (I reject all insincere offers).
Notice: the adjective unaufrichtig- has the strong plural accusative

declension!
All as a regular determiner (in the plural ONLY):
Der Freundschaftsbruch [plural nominative] hat alle guten Erinnerungen

vernichtet (The breakup of the friendship destroyed all the good memories).
Notice the strong declension on all- and the weak one on gut-!
Notice the strong declension on all and the weak one on gut !
Main Takeaways
1. German is an inflected language that uses declensions to indicate the case
of each noun (who is doing what to whom) in any given sentence.
2. Since German nouns also have gender, this feature also has to be taken
into account when figuring out the right declensions to use in each situation.
3. It is specifically determiners & adjectives (the words that come in front of
nouns)that take declensions that indicate the noun’s gender & case.
4. There are strong and weak declensions AND also 3 instances when no
declension is used.
5. Declensions follow two standard patterns, and then there’s a 3rd exception
pattern that occurs in just 3 instances.
6. Rather than studying 10 different charts of various words with their attached
declensions, you can memorize just ONE chart of declensions only and
learn the simple rules for how to know when to use which one.
7. Zero words are special determiners that do not take declensions anywhere
on the chart!
8. Some plural determiners break our standard rules by taking strong
declensions AND requiring that any following adjectives take strong
declensions, too.
9. Some words have multiple functions (possible options: zero word,
determiner / pronoun, adjective).
Study Tips
For once, I really only have one study tip: USE THE ALL-IN-ONE
DECLENSIONS CHART!
Forget about the others. You don’t need them. They’re confusing. They make
distinctions that aren’t useful. And they tediously repeat the bulk of the
information anyway.
Using the provided examples as a reference, practice plugging in various
determiners and/or adjectives (in one of the 4 declensions patterns, of course!)

until you surprise yourself by having the whole chart of declensions memorized.
It’ll happen!
SPECIAL NOTES ON PLURAL DETERMINERS (and how to remember which is

which):
In a way, we could think of the regular plural determiners as being like der-words
(like ‘this’ and ‘that’) because they are more specific, more definable, more
definite.
HOWEVER, notice that all of the traditional ein-words (except ‘a’, which you
can’t say with a plural noun!) are on this list, too: kein, all the possessives, and
irgendwelch- (which is akin to irgendein-).
The normal way of categorizing der- vs. ein-words for singular nouns has
nothing to do with how specific or vague the determiner is. But in the plural,
that’s what it’s all about!
If you don’t like repurposing the same vocabulary of der- and ein-words like this,
that is totally fine (and understandable, too).
Maybe you want to repurpose the terms definite and indefinite. Or use concrete
vs. abstract. Or specific vs. vague. That’s all up to you and whatever makes the
most sense in your brain!
I just want you to notice the distinction here between the regular determiners
(specific) vs. the rulebreakers (vague). And then I recommend coming up with
some way to help yourself remember which determiners belong to which
category.
NOTE: the two words that seem (to different extents) to break this pattern of
specific vs. vague are irgendwelch- (regular determiner) and folgend-
(rulebreaker).
In a way, irgendwelch- seems vague — it does mean ‘any’ after all! — but if you
think of it in context, as in, Any of those methods would be fine with me, ‘any’ is
actually delineating a specific, limited number [of methods].
However, I don’t have any good explanation for folgend-. :-p It really does just
break our nice little pattern (darn!). It’s specific, not vague, and there’s no two
ways about it. Ah well!
Local guides (https://germanwithlaura.com/local-guides-for-

learning-german/)
Site links
Home
Grammar Topics
About
Contact
Article Topics
Adjectives
Nouns
Prepositions
Pronouns
Verb Tenses
Verb Types

© 2021 German with Laura | All Rights Reserved | Privacy

(https://germanwithlaura.com/privacy-policy/)
PO BOX 173 PAULLINA, IA 51046 | (603) 303-8842 | [email protected]


An Easier Way To Learn German Declensions

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

An Easier Way To Learn German Declensions

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

An Easier Way To Learn German Declensions

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

12/3/2023 An Easier Way to Learn German Declensions

(If you would like to share, share this webpage).

An Easier Way to Learn German

Download the All-In-One Declension Chart ‘cheat sheet’ here.

Declensions are probably the aspect of German that historically causes

In this article you’ll learn the following:

What You Need To Know

German uses declensions to provide crucial information about the nouns in a

In this way, English & German are very different.

English is a analytic language: we know who is doing what to whom in a

German is an inflected language: we know who is doing what to whom in a

is how we know what role

Why does German use declensions?

OK, but why?!

I will answer that question. Let’s first lay some groundwork.

How Sentences Have Meaning

How Sentences Work in English

Check out these examples:

The man gives the child to the woman.

How Sentences Work in German

Declensions, The Smarter Way

Definite Articles (der, die, das, etc.) (https://germanwithlaura.com/definite-

All-In-One Declensions Chart

I’m going to show you how!

How The Chart Works

Access My Grammar Course [FREE]

determiners (including der-words and ein-words)

How Declensions Work in German

That leaves us with the topic of Access

Words that need declensions

Yes and no.

All the words that come in front of nouns are either

‘Plugging’ words into the Chart

1. Strong declensions better (but not flawlessly) indicate the gender/case of

In a very limited number of instances, there might also be no declension at all

How to Use Declensions

1. What gender is the noun?

1. How to Know the Gender of Any

der Mann (the man [masculine])

German noun genders are determined by either by group or by form.

Noun Group (https://germanwithlaura.com/noun-gender/#noun-groups) Examples:

Male persons and animals

Female persons and animals

Young persons and baby animals

Masculine: -ant, -ast, -ich, -ig, -ismus, -ling, -or, -us

2. How to Know Which Case to Use

Think of the four cases (https://germanwithlaura.com/noun-cases/) as ‘slots’ in

1. Always fill up the nominative (https://germanwithlaura.com/nominative-

Pattern #4: determiners (<– only specific plural ‘rule-breaker’ ones

Access My Grammar Course [FREE]

Pattern #2 is for a handful of exception instances that apply ONLY if an ein-word

EIN-word Determiners: ein(a), irgendein (any), kein (not a / any), and

TIP: if the determiner is not an ein-word, it’s a der-word by default, e.g.

The distinction between ein-word and der-word determiners matters ONLY in

But … only ein-words only in those 3 spots behave differently by taking no

Using the All-in-One Declensions Chart

Here it is again: the only declensions chart you’ll ever need!

Step 1: Child = Kind, which is a neuter noun

Directions for Using This Chart