TOPIC · Nouns (Nomen)

N-Declension in German

A2B1B2

After this lesson, you can recognise N-Deklination nouns and use their correct forms in all cases.

The N-Deklination is a special pattern for some masculine nouns: in all cases except the nominative they get an extra -n or -en at the end. These nouns are very common, so mastering them is essential for speaking and writing correct German.

Core idea of the N-Deklination

Only certain masculine nouns follow this pattern. In the Nominativ Singular they appear without ending, but in Genitiv, Dativ and Akkusativ they take -n or -en. In the plural they also have -n/-en.

A useful test: say the Dativ with article. Is it „mit dem Student“ or „mit dem Studenten“? The correct form is „mit dem Studenten“ – that means this noun belongs to the N-Deklination.

Typical groups of nouns

1Masculine nouns ending in -e

Many masculine nouns ending in -e belong to the N-Deklination:

der Kollege – des Kollegen – dem Kollegen – den Kollegen
der Junge – des Jungen – dem Jungen – den Jungen
der Kunde – des Kunden – dem Kunden – den Kunden
der Name – des Namens – dem Namen – den Namen

Note that „der Name“ keeps „m“ in all forms, but the Genitiv adds -s: „des Namens“.

2Nouns with specific endings

Many masculine nouns with these endings follow the N-Deklination:

Ending	Example	Comment
-ant	der Praktikant, der Doktorand	often jobs / roles
-ent	der Student, der Präsident	usually persons
-oge	der Biologe, der Pädagoge	often scientists
-ist	der Journalist, der Pianist	often professions

These nouns take -en in all cases except Nominativ Singular.

3Other important nouns

Some very frequent nouns simply need to be memorised:

der Mensch – des Menschen – dem Menschen – den Menschen
der Herr – des Herrn – dem Herrn – den Herrn
der Nachbar – des Nachbarn – dem Nachbarn – den Nachbarn
der Bauer – des Bauern – dem Bauern – den Bauern
der Held – des Helden – dem Helden – den Helden

Overview table

Example with „der Kollege“:

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	der Kollege	die Kollegen
Genitive	des Kollegen	der Kollegen
Dative	dem Kollegen	den Kollegen
Accusative	den Kollegen	die Kollegen

Remember: in the plural every case ends in -en (die Kollegen, der Kollegen, den Kollegen, die Kollegen); only the article changes.

Typical mistakes and tips

Don’t confuse N-Deklination with plural: „Ich sehe den Studenten.“ is Singular Akkusativ, not plural.
After prepositions with Dativ or Akkusativ, the -n ending stays: „mit dem Nachbarn“, „für den Kunden“.
Learn the main N-Deklination nouns as full paradigms with the article: „der Student, des Studenten …“.

Short practice (no solutions)

Fill in the correct form:

Ich spreche oft mit meinem … (Nachbar).
Kennst du den … (Praktikant) in unserer Abteilung?
Das ist der Hund des … (Junge).
Die Meinung des … (Experte) ist wichtig.

Use these exercises regularly until the endings feel natural.