h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

22 January 2001 - Declension of plurals

The plural declines in the same way for all genders. The way each plural is FORMED can depend on the gender, but it is best, at first, to learn these off by heart.

A pattern may form in your mind eventually, and there are certain recurring elements, but often words with the same ending may form the plural in a different way, and, to add to the confusion, some words have two different plurals, each fitting a slightly different MEANING of the word.

In future, all nouns given will include the plural. This is not the subject of today's lesson.


The plural can only have a *definite* article. There are various words which replace the English "some" used for an indefinite plural, which we will also have to leave until later.

The nominative plural

is always "DIE"

Der Fotokopierer - Die Fotokopierer (the photocopier, the photocopiers)
Die Aussicht - Die Aussichten (the view, the views - *not* in the sense of "opinion")
Das Gefäß - Die Gefässe (The container, vessel (also blood vessel) - the containers, vessels)

The accusative plural is also "DIE"

Der Rattenfänger von Hameln führte die Kinder weg
The Pied Piper of Hamlin led the children away

The dative plural is "DEN"
The Plural noun following should also always have an "n" at the end.

Fritz goß den Kätzchen Milch in einen Teller.
Fritz poured milk into a plate for the kittens.

The genitive Plural is "DER"

Die Wipfel der Bäume wehten im Wind.
The tops of the trees were waving in the wind.

Here in table form:

NOM: Die
ACC: Die
DAT: Den
GEN: Der

Tomorrow we shall enlarge this and see how the adjectives are declined to fit into the pattern.

After all those tables then it will be time to put them to use and try some practical application.

TC, I'm astonished that there /are/ rules! I always thought one had to recall everything from a built-in-memory that was created and filled at childhood.

*Ponders attending German class himself *

From our examples you can see two or three rules : All words ending in "er" as in something or someone that does something, Kopierer, Metzger, Sternspucker, Regulierer, Schalter - are masculine and do not change in the plural.

The diminiuitives "chen" and "lein" do not change for the plural either.

Most feminine words take an "n" for the plural.

I vaguely remember learning some of this years ago, but so far I have just taken it all out of my head.