Noun Declension Types (Starke, schwache und gemischte Deklination)

Explanation

Why Do Some Nouns Change in Every Case?

You may have noticed that most German nouns only change in the genitive case — der Tisch stays den Tisch and dem Tisch in accusative and dative. But some masculine nouns, like der Student, suddenly become den Studenten, dem Studenten, des Studenten everywhere except the nominative. This isn't random — these nouns follow a different declension pattern.

Strong Declension — The Default

Most masculine and all neuter nouns follow this pattern. Only the genitive adds -(e)s, and every other case stays the same. If you see des Tisches in a dictionary entry, you know the noun behaves "normally."

der Tisch → den Tisch, dem Tisch, des Tisches

This is the pattern you already know from A1 — nothing surprising here.

Weak Declension — The "n-Deklination"

About 200 masculine nouns follow a completely different rule: they add -(e)n to every case except the nominative. These are called "schwache Nomen" or "n-Deklination" nouns, and they trip up even intermediate learners.

der Student → den Studenten, dem Studenten, des Studenten

How do you spot them? Look for masculine nouns ending in -e (der Junge, der Kollege), -ent/-ant (der Student, der Praktikant), -ist (der Tourist), or -at (der Soldat). The word der Herr is also weak — it becomes den Herrn with just a single -n.

Mixed Declension — The Small Exception

A tiny group of masculine nouns combines both patterns. They add -n in accusative and dative (like weak nouns), but -ns in the genitive (a mix of strong and weak). There are only about ten of these.

der Name → den Namen, dem Namen, des Namens

Other common mixed nouns: der Gedanke, der Glaube, der Wille, der Buchstabe, der Friede.

The Quick Test

When you look up a masculine noun, check its genitive singular:

Reference Tables

Examples

Common Mistakes

Related Grammar

Related Words