Compound Nouns
German Compound Nouns: How to Find Their Gender
German compound nouns can look intimidating. But when it comes to choosing der, die or das, there is one simple rule that can help: the last noun determines the gender.
Look at the last noun
German often creates new nouns by combining two or more words.
Take Haustür:
das Haus + die Tür → die Haustür
Because Tür is the final noun, the whole compound is feminine.
This gives us the key rule:
The last noun determines the gender of the entire compound.
The rule in action
| Compound | Last noun | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Fußballplatz | der Platz | der Fußballplatz |
| Kinderzimmer | das Zimmer | das Kinderzimmer |
| Sonnenbrille | die Brille | die Sonnenbrille |
| Apfelsaft | der Saft | der Apfelsaft |
Long words become easier
Consider:
Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung
Instead of trying to understand the whole word at once, look at the end:
die Begrenzung
Therefore:
die Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung
The same strategy works with Weihnachtsmarkt:
der Markt → der Weihnachtsmarkt
When you meet an unfamiliar German compound, try working backwards.
Combine it with other clues
Sometimes the final noun gives you another clue as well.
Begrenzung, for example, ends in -ung, which strongly suggests DIE.
Learning common German noun endings can therefore make compound nouns even easier.
Take-home message
German compound nouns may be long, but finding their gender can be surprisingly simple.
Find the final noun. Find its article. Use the same article for the whole compound.
The next time you meet a monster German word, don't start at the beginning.
Start at the end.
Ready to practise?
Look for the final noun the next time you meet a compound word in DerDieDas Hunt.