Der, die, or das? - Part 2: Feminine Nouns

Der, die, or das? - Part 3: Neuter Nouns

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As we know, German nouns can be masculine, feminine, or neuter, and the article used with a noun is dependent on its gender. You may have already been advised to memorize the definite article der, die, or das as an essential part of the noun itself, as there are few patterns that will reliably help you retrieve the gender of the noun later on. At Yabla, we try to help with this by always including the definite article of any new vocabulary words presented in our newsletters.

However, because new words are not always presented with their definite article in Yabla videos or in real life situations, it may be good to learn a few tendencies that exist for certain word endings. Let’s start with some typically masculine endings, keeping in mind that these rules do have exceptions and that memorizing the article along with each individual noun will always be a better idea.

Often, words ending with -er, -or, -en, -ling, -smus, -ig, -eig, -ant, or -eich are masculine and require the definite article der.

Der Teig hat doch eine ganze Stunde gebraucht, um fertig zu werden.

The batter did indeed take a whole hour to be ready.

Caption 17, Weihnachtsplätzchen backen - mit Diane und vielen kleinen Helfern

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Dann wird der Honig in Gläser abgefüllt.

Then the honey is filled into jars.

Caption 28, Piggeldy und Frederick - Vergessen

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Der Garten, den ihr hier seht,

The garden, which you see here,

der gehört zur Domäne Dahlem.

belongs to the Dömane Dahlem [name of museum].

Caption 4, Berlin - Domäne Dahlem

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It is important to note that these rules often don’t apply to monosyllabic words. For example, words ending in -eich are often masculine, but not das Reich ("the empire").

Und der hintere Bereich jetzt hier, wo kommen wir jetzt hin?

And the area now behind here, where are we going now?

Caption 14, Karlsruher Stadtgeburtstag - die Majolika-Manufaktur

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And don't forget: these “rules” are really only tendencies due to exceptions. As we see here, there are words ending with -ant that are not masculine.

Der Elefant wollte an seine Frau nach Afrika schreiben.

The elephant wanted to write to his wife in Africa.

Caption 34, Janoschs Traumstunde - Post für den Tiger

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„Wie heißt das Restaurant, dessen Essen so...

"What is the name of the restaurant whose food...

dessen Essen so gut sein soll?"

whose food is supposed to be so good?"

Caption 5, Deutschkurs in Blaubeuren - Der Relativsatz

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Further Learning
We will be back next week with typical endings for feminine nouns. In the meantime, make some flashcards with vocabulary from past lessons or your favorite videos on Yabla German, and always include the definite article so that you learn the gender of the noun. If you have flashcards but have not included the articles, add them now! It is important to get into the habit of doing so.

The German verb brauchen can be translated in a number of ways, including "to need," "to be required," "to make use of," "to take," and "to use," and has some additional idiomatic usages. See some of the these subtle differences in context in these Yabla videos:

Wir brauchen jetzt zwei Millionäre.

We now need two millionaires.

Caption 11, Deutschkurs in Blaubeuren - Der Relativsatz

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Es braucht Erklärungen, um die Brutalität und Banalität des Unrechts zu verstehen.

Explanations are required to grasp the brutality and banality of this injustice.

Caption 19, DDR zum Anfassen - Ganz tief im Westen

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Von wegen körperloser Sport,

So much for non-contact sports,

hätt' ich meinen Helm doch gebraucht.

I still could've made use of my helmet after all.

Caption 46, Ultimate Frisbee - Oli erklärt das Spiel

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Der Teig hat doch eine ganze Stunde gebraucht, um fertig zu werden.

The batter did indeed take a whole hour to be ready.

Caption 17, Weihnachtsplätzchen backen - mit Diane und vielen kleinen Helfern

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Wo werden denn heute noch Katapulte gebraucht?

Where are catapults still used today?

Caption 12, Bretten - Das Peter-und-Paul-Fest

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Here are a couple of examples of idiomatic usage of brauchen too:

Du brauchst mir die nächsten zehn Tage nicht unter die Augen [sic: zu] kommen.

For the next ten days, you don't need to come under my eyes [idiom: I don't want to see you].

Caption 12, Fußball und die Frauenwelt - Das Foul

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Alle naslang brauchst du das.

You need that all noses long [idiom: repeatedly in short intervals].

Caption 18, Otto Waalkes - Die verflixte Rechenaufgabe

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Further Learning:

For many more examples of brauchen and details of its conjugation, see the Yabla video Konjugation - Das Verb „brauchen“.

German Cooking Verbs - Part 1

German Cooking Verbs - Part 2

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Welcome to the third and last part of our series on on German cooking verbs. Take this opportunity to brush up on your cooking verbs with Yabla!

hinzufügen: add (to, into)

Zur Sahne werde ich den Hartkäse hinzufügen.

To the cream I'll add the hard cheese.

Captions 33-34, Cannelloni - mit Jenny

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mahlen (fein, grob): grind (finely, coarsely)

„Heute mahlen sie das Getreide mit Strom“, sagte Frederick.

“Today, they grind the grain with electricity,” said Frederick.

Caption 28, Piggeldy und Frederick - Maschine

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rühren: stir, mix

Ich würd' sagen, jeder darf mal rühren.

I would say, everyone gets to stir.

Caption 8, Weihnachtsplätzchen backen - mit Diane und vielen kleinen Helfern

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schälen: peel

Zum Beispiel Karotten schälen,

For example, peeling carrots,

helfen, wo wir grad [gerade] gebraucht werden.

helping just where we are needed.

Captions 41-42, Bretten - Das Peter-und-Paul-Fest

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schlagen: beat a mixture, or crack an egg (also aufschlagen)

Wir nehmen fünf Eier

We take five eggs

und schlagen diese einzeln zu der Mischung hinzu.

and crack them individually into the mixture.

Captions 9-10, Bayrische Spätzle - mit Christiane

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Further Learning:

Find some German recipes online and try cooking them at home. You can also search Yabla and find some videos with cooking themes to see some more cooking words in context. Here is a list of some more German verbs used in cooking: montieren: thicken sauce with cold butter; reduzieren: reduce, cook down; reiben: grate; schneiden: cut, chop; schwenken: stir in melted butter or fat; spicken: add lard or spice under skin of meat; streichen: spread; tranchieren: carve into slices; überbacken: gratinate; unterheben: fold in; verfeinern: refine; verquirlen: whisk, beat; wiegen, abwiegen: weigh; würzen: season; zerreiben: grate; zerschneiden: cut up; ziehen lassen: marinade or poach; ziehen: marinade, steep, simmer; zusetzen: add

German Cooking Verbs - Part 2

German Cooking Verbs - Part 3

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If you are studying German, you must be somewhat curious about German foods. This is the perfect opportunity to brush up on your cooking verbs, and Yabla is just the place to start!

abgießen: decant, pour out

Dafür muss ich das Öl in dem Glas abgießen.

For that, I have to pour out the oil in the jar.

Caption 58, Cannelloni - mit Jenny

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ablöschen: quench, deglaze, put out a fire

Achtung beim Spargel, nicht zu lange braten,

Be careful with asparagus, don't fry it too long,

dann mit Wasser ablöschen.

then deglaze it with water.

Caption 37, Kochhaus Berlin - Rucola-Salat-Rezept

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abtropfen: drain

Man und holt die raus, lässt die 'n bisschen abtropfen.

You take them out, and let them drain a little bit.

Caption 26, Bayrische Spätzle - mit Christiane

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anrichten: place in serving dish, arrange

Jetzt nur noch alles auf dem Teller schön anrichten.

Now just arrange everything nicely on the plate.

Caption 63, Kochhaus Berlin - Rucola-Salat-Rezept

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ausrollen: roll out

Jetzt wollen wir den Teig ausrollen.

Now we want to roll out the batter.

Caption 24, Weihnachtsplätzchen backen - mit Diane und vielen kleinen Helfern

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Further Learning:

Find some German recipes online and try cooking them at home. You can also search Yabla and find some videos with cooking themes to see some more cooking words in context. Here is a list of some more German verbs used in cooking starting with the letter A: (aus)quellen lassen: expand, rise; abbrühen: boil shortly; abdampfen: dry out over dry heat; abkühlen: cool off, cool down; abschmecken (degustieren): taste and season; abschütten: drain; abseihen: strain, sieve; abstechen: scoop, use a spoon for small portions; abziehen: skim or peel; abzupfen: pick off; anbraten: brown; anbrennen: burn; aufgehen: rise (yeast, soufflé); aufkochen: bring to boil; aufschlagen: beat, whip; aufwärmen: warm, reheat; aufziehen: rise (yeast, soufflé)