Change the noun as well as its article
Der Student bringt die Mappe. has a nominative subject. Nora begrüßt den Studenten. makes the same one student an accusative object. The article becomes den and the noun gains en. Nora spricht mit dem Studenten. has dative after mit. Neither ending alone tells you whether the referent is one person or several; use the whole phrase.
The same noun ending follows an indefinite article, a possessive or an adjective: einen Studenten, meinem Kollegen, diesen Menschen. Keep case selection and declension class as separate decisions: the verb or preposition chooses case; the noun’s class supplies its ending.
One student, four cases
- Nominativ
der Student
Base form; singular subject.
- Akkusativ
den Studenten
The article and noun both change.
- Dativ
dem Studenten
Still one student, with a weak ending.
- Genitiv
des Studenten
No additional genitive s for this weak noun.
Two complete weak-noun paradigms
Kollege adds n after its existing e; Student adds en. In the plural, these nouns already end in n, so dative plural does not add a second n. The singular article dem contrasts with plural den even when the noun is identical.
| Kasus | Student · Singular | Kollege · Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der Student | der Kollege | die Studenten / die Kollegen |
| Akkusativ | den Studenten | den Kollegen | die Studenten / die Kollegen |
| Dativ | dem Studenten | dem Kollegen | den Studenten / den Kollegen |
| Genitiv | des Studenten | des Kollegen | der Studenten / der Kollegen |
Recognize candidates, then verify the word
Many masculine person or animal nouns ending in e are weak: der Junge, der Kunde, der Löwe. Common person suffixes also help: der Student, der Präsident, der Polizist. Other high-use members include der Mensch and der Herr. These are useful families, not a rule that every living being or every word ending in e must be weak.
A plural in en is not proof: der Staat — die Staaten has den Staat and des Staates in the singular. Likewise der Autor normally has des Autors. Store a difficult noun with its article, genitive singular and plural; those forms reveal more than the nominative alone.
Herr and mixed patterns need their own rows
Herr has n in the oblique singular but en in the plural. Name combines an n-pattern with genitive s: des Namens, not des Namen. Other mixed nouns include Buchstabe and Gedanke; verify the lexical entry rather than adding s to ordinary weak nouns such as Student.
| Kasus | Herr | Name | Herz |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | der Herr | der Name | das Herz |
| Akkusativ | den Herrn | den Namen | das Herz |
| Dativ | dem Herrn | dem Namen | dem Herzen |
| Genitiv | des Herrn | des Namens | des Herzens |
Treat Herz as a bounded exception
Herz is neuter, not a reason to classify all neuter nouns as weak. The table gives the familiar Herzen/Herzens pattern, useful in figurative expressions. Singular accusative remains das Herz. Literal medical usage also has variant dative forms; the special history of this noun should not be generalized to the whole class.
Diagnose two independent mistakes
In Ich schicke dem neuen Kollege die Datei., dem already selects the correct dative article, but Kollege still needs n: dem neuen Kollegen. In Ich sehe dem Kollegen., the noun ending is compatible with dative but sehen needs accusative here: Ich sehe den Kollegen. Check both case choice and noun morphology.
Eight checks with explained answers
Try each task before opening the answer. Read the reason as well as the completed sentence.
1. Complete: Der ___ wartet. (Student)
Der Student wartet. Nominative singular keeps the base form.
2. Complete: Ich frage den ___. (Student)
Studenten. Accusative singular of a weak noun adds en.
3. Repair: mit einem Kollege.
mit einem Kollegen. Dative singular requires the weak ending n after e.
4. Genitive: die Antwort des ___ (Kunde).
die Antwort des Kunden. Ordinary weak genitive takes n, not an extra s.
5. Name one man, then several: mit dem ___ / mit den ___ (Herr).
mit dem Herrn / mit den Herren. Singular n contrasts with plural en.
6. Complete: die Schreibweise des ___ (Name).
Namens. Name has a mixed genitive with ns.
7. Is mit dem Studenten singular or plural?
Singular: dem shows dative singular. Plural would be mit den Studenten.
8. Choose the standard genitive: des Studenten / des Studentens.
des Studenten. Do not transfer the mixed pattern of Name to Student.
Introduce a visitor and report the handover
Write four connected lines using one weak noun in nominative, accusative, dative and genitive. Model: Ein Praktikant kommt um neun. Nora begrüßt den Praktikanten. Sie erklärt dem Praktikanten den Ablauf. Die Fragen des Praktikanten sind hilfreich. Replace Praktikant with Kunde or Kollege and change the situation. Mark the article and noun endings separately.
Questions about this topic
Are all masculine nouns weak?
No. Masculine gender and declension class are separate. Check a noun’s genitive and plural instead of guessing from gender alone.
Does Studenten always mean several students?
No. It is also the accusative, dative and genitive singular of Student. The full noun phrase and context establish number.
Sources and further learning
- IDS: Flexionsklasse
- IDS: Flexionsklassen der Nomina
- IDS: Autor, Doktor, Friede, Funke — Problemfälle der Flexion?
- IDS: Zur Deklination von Herz
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