B1.2 · Ocean Depth II

N-Declension Nouns

N-Deklination

N-declension nouns, also called weak masculine nouns, add -(e)n in every case except the nominative singular: der Student, den Studenten, dem Studenten, des Studenten. The group is almost entirely masculine and mostly names people — Kollege, Kunde, Junge, Nachbar, Mensch, Herr — plus male nationality words ending in -e such as Franzose and Türke.

Master weak masculine nouns like der Student.

Rules & Explanations

N-Declension Introduction

Einführung: N-Deklination

der Student, den Studenten, dem Studenten — why does Student add -en in accusative and dative? These are N-declension nouns (also called weak nouns). They add -(e)n in all cases except nominative!

German N-declension nouns: der Student (nom), den StudentEN (acc), dem StudentEN (dat), des StudentEN (gen). -en in all cases except nominative!

English: the student, I see the student, I help the student. No change to the noun.

Why you need this Talking about people (Student, Kollege, Kunde), nationalities (Franzose, Pole), and some animals.

Ich sehe den Studenten. / Ich helfe dem Studenten.

I see the student. / I help the student.

Student adds -en in accusative and dative and genitive!

💡

N-declension nouns are common! Getting them wrong sounds very awkward to native speakers.

N-Declension Pattern

N-Deklination Muster

Add -(e)n to all cases except nominative. Herr adds only -n.

-(e)n in allen Fällen außer Nominativ. Herr bekommt nur -n.

Case	der Student	der Kollege	der Herr
Nominative	der Student	der Kollege	der Herr
Accusative	den Studenten	den Kollegen	den Herrn
Dative	dem Studenten	dem Kollegen	dem Herrn
Genitive	des Studenten	des Kollegen	des Herrn

💡

N-declension: nominative = normal, all other cases add -(e)n. Super consistent!

🧠

Nominative = no ending. Everything else = -(e)n. Simple rule!

Common Mistakes

✗ Ich sehe den Student.

✓ Ich sehe den Studenten.

Student is N-declension: accusative needs -en!

Common N-Declension Nouns: People

Häufige N-Deklination Nomen: Personen

Most N-declension nouns refer to male people. Many end in -e!

Die meisten N-Deklination Nomen bezeichnen männliche Personen. Viele enden auf -e!

Nominative	All Other Cases	English
der Student	den/dem/des Studenten	student
der Kollege	den/dem/des Kollegen	colleague
der Kunde	den/dem/des Kunden	customer
der Junge	den/dem/des Jungen	boy
der Nachbar	den/dem/des Nachbarn	neighbor
der Herr	den/dem/des Herrn	gentleman/Mr.
der Mensch	den/dem/des Menschen	human/person

💡

Many male person nouns ending in -e are N-declension: Kollege, Kunde, Junge.

🧠

Masculine noun ending in -e? Probably N-declension!

Common Mistakes

✗ Ich helfe dem Kollege.

✓ Ich helfe dem Kollegen.

Kollege is N-declension: dative needs -n!

N-Declension: Nationalities

N-Deklination: Nationalitäten

Male nationality nouns ending in -e follow N-declension!

Männliche Nationalitätsnomen auf -e folgen der N-Deklination!

Nominative	All Other Cases	English
der Franzose	den/dem/des Franzosen	Frenchman
der Pole	den/dem/des Polen	Pole
der Russe	den/dem/des Russen	Russian
der Türke	den/dem/des Türken	Turk
der Chinese	den/dem/des Chinesen	Chinese person

💡

Nationalities ending in -e: N-declension! Franzose, Pole, Russe, Türke, Chinese.

🧠

Frenchman = der Franzose → den Franzosen. Same pattern!

N-Declension: Other Categories

N-Deklination: Andere Kategorien

Foreign words ending in -ant, -ent, -ist, -at, -oge usually follow N-declension.

Fremdwörter auf -ant, -ent, -ist, -at, -oge folgen meist der N-Deklination.

Category	Examples	Pattern
Animals	der Affe, der Löwe, der Hase	ends in -e → -en
-ant/-ent endings	der Elefant, der Präsident, der Patient	-ant/-ent → -en
-ist ending	der Journalist, der Tourist, der Polizist	-ist → -en
-at/-oge endings	der Automat, der Biologe, der Psychologe	→ -en

💡

-ant, -ent, -ist, -oge = usually N-declension. Präsident → Präsidenten, Tourist → Touristen.

🧠

Foreign suffix? Probably N-declension: Präsident, Patient, Tourist, Biologe.

Exception: der Name, der Glaube, der Wille

Ausnahme: der Name, der Glaube, der Wille

A few N-declension nouns add -ns in genitive: der Name → des Namens, der Glaube → des Glaubens, der Wille → des Willens. These are special!

Einige N-Deklination Nomen bekommen -ns im Genitiv: der Name → des Namens, der Glaube → des Glaubens, der Wille → des Willens.

Example

the name of the student vs. of the name

der Name des Studenten (normal) vs. des Namens (special)

Examples

Ich sehe den Studenten.

I see the student.

den Studenten

Accusative: Student → Studenten.

Word	Meaning
Ich	I
sehe	see
den Studenten	the student (acc)

Ich helfe dem Kollegen.

I help the colleague.

dem Kollegen

Dative: Kollege → Kollegen.

Word	Meaning
Ich	I
helfe	help
dem Kollegen	the colleague (dat)

Das ist das Auto des Kunden.

That is the customer s car.

des Kunden

Genitive: Kunde → Kunden.

Word	Meaning
Das ist	That is
das Auto	the car
des Kunden	of the customer (gen)

Ich kenne einen Franzosen.

I know a Frenchman.

einen Franzosen

Accusative: Franzose → Franzosen.

Word	Meaning
Ich	I
kenne	know
einen Franzosen	a Frenchman (acc)

Der Junge spielt im Garten.

The boy is playing in the garden.

Der Junge

Nominative: no change! der Junge.

Word	Meaning
Der Junge	The boy (nom)
spielt	is playing
im Garten	in the garden

Ich spreche mit dem Herrn.

I am speaking with the gentleman.

dem Herrn

Dative: Herr → Herrn (only -n, not -en).

Word	Meaning
Ich	I
spreche	am speaking
mit	with
dem Herrn	the gentleman (dat)

Der Patient wartet auf den Arzt.

The patient is waiting for the doctor.

Der Patient

Nominative: no change. Patient is subject.

Word	Meaning
Der Patient	The patient (nom)
wartet	is waiting
auf den Arzt	for the doctor

Ich gebe dem Nachbarn ein Paket.

I give the neighbor a package.

dem Nachbarn

Dative: Nachbar → Nachbarn.

Word	Meaning
Ich gebe	I give
dem Nachbarn	the neighbor (dat)
ein Paket	a package

Practice Exercises

8 interactive exercises

Question 1 of 8

Ich sehe den ___.

I see the student.

Next up

Konjunktiv II (Past)

Express past hypotheticals with hätte/wäre + participle.

B2.1

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Common questions about N-declension nouns

What are N-declension nouns in German?

They are masculine nouns that take -(e)n in the accusative, dative and genitive, unlike normal nouns which stay unchanged. Der Student becomes den Studenten, dem Studenten and des Studenten. Because the ending appears in three of the four cases, they are also called weak nouns — the noun itself does the case marking.

How do I recognise an N-declension noun?

Most are masculine nouns for people, and a great many end in -e: der Kollege, der Kunde, der Junge, der Franzose, der Türke. Others end in -ent, -ant, -ist or -oge: der Student, der Praktikant, der Polizist, der Biologe. Der Mensch, der Nachbar and der Herr belong too and simply have to be memorised.

What is the ending for der Herr?

Herr is irregular within the group: it adds only -n in the singular, giving den Herrn, dem Herrn and des Herrn, but -en in the plural, giving die Herren. This is why letters are addressed Sehr geehrter Herr Meier in the nominative but you say Ich habe mit Herrn Meier gesprochen in the dative.

Why is it den Studenten and not den Student?

Because Student belongs to the N-declension, and these nouns mark the accusative on the noun itself, not just on the article. Ich sehe den Studenten is correct; den Student is a mistake. The same shows up with the indefinite article: Ich kenne einen Franzosen, not einen Franzose.

Do N-declension nouns take -s in the genitive?

No — that is the key difference from ordinary masculine nouns. Where normal nouns give des Mannes, N-declension nouns give des Studenten, des Kollegen, des Kunden. Das ist das Auto des Kunden is correct, while des Kundes is wrong. The -(e)n ending covers accusative, dative and genitive alike.

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