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German Phrases

Names and Nouns by Edward Swick, M.A.

Just like English names, German names tend to refer to either males or females. As time goes by, some names are used less and less frequently because they are considered old-fashioned. At other times, new names become popular because they are the latest fad. But all in all, there are certain German names that are traditional and retain their popularity for long periods of time. Let's look at some traditional male German names.

Friedrich	Helmut
Hermann	Johann
Karl	Reinhardt
Wolfgang

Here are some traditional names for females.

Charlotte	Gretchen
Helga	Ingrid
Klara	Luise
Marianne

Some names for men and women come from foreign sources and are often in fashion for just a short time. For example:

Boris	Jens
Sabine	Sonja

<B>Surnames</B></h2> <p>When using a person's surname, you should precede it by the title <B>Herr</B> (Mr.) for a man and <B>Frau</B> (Mrs., Ms.) for a woman.</p> <table frame="all" width="100%"> <h2> <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><B>Herr Schneider</B></p></td> <td><p><B>Herr Braun</B></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Frau Benz</B></p></td> <td><p><B>Frau Keller</B></p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <div class="npsb"> <title> <B>Fact</B></h2> <p>The title <B>Fräulein</B> (Miss) was used quite commonly in the past to refer to a single woman. But just as the women's movement created cultural changes in the English-speaking world, so too did those changes occur in Germany. It is now taboo to use <B>Fräulein</B>. All women are addressed by Frau.</p> </div> <p>Professional titles are used much the same in German as in English. They do not usually identify the gender of the person addressed.</p> <table frame="all" width="100%"> <h2> <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><B>Professor Schmidt</B></p></td> <td><p><B>Doktor Brenner</B></p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <p>When speaking to a professional, the titles <B>Herr</B> and <B>Frau</B> are used when the last name is omitted and the gender of the person is identified.</p> <table frame="all" width="100%"> <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><B>Herr Professor</B></p></td> <td><p><B>Frau Professor</B></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Frau Doktor</B></p></td> <td><p><B>Herr Lehrer (teacher)</B></p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <title><B>Nouns and Gender</B></h2> <p>Nouns are words that represent a person, an object, or even an idea or concept. Boy, pencil, and education are examples of nouns. In English, the gender of a noun is masculine if it refers to males, feminine if it refers to females, and neuter if it refers to inanimate objects. German is somewhat different. Many nouns that refer to males and females are masculine and feminine respectively. But many other nouns that refer to inanimate objects are masculine or feminine, and still other nouns that refer to living people are neuter. For example, <B>Mann</B> (man) and <B>Stuhl</B> (chair) are masculine. <B>Frau</B> (woman) and <B>Lampe</B> (lamp) are feminine. <B>Kind</B> (child) and <B>Haus</B> (house) are neuter.</p> <p>It is important to know the gender of nouns. Gender determines how articles and adjectives are used with those nouns. It is wise to try to memorize the gender of a noun as you learn it. However, if you make a mistake and use the wrong gender, German speakers will still understand you and it won't be considered a major blunder.</p> <p>It is often the form of a noun that determines its gender. Certain endings tend to signal a specific gender. For example, nouns that end in <B>-el, -en,</B> and <B>-er</B> tend to be masculine.</p> <table frame="all" width="100%"> <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><B>Onkel<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>uncle</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Mantel<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>overcoat</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Wagen<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>car</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Brunnen<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>well, fountain</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Lehrer<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>teacher</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Keller<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>basement, cellar</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <p>Nouns that end in <B>-ung, -heit, –keit, -in,</B> and <B>-ie</B> are feminine.</p> <table frame="all" width="100%"> <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><B>Zeitung<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>newspaper</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Gesundheit<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>health</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Einsamkeit<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>loneliness</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Lehrerin<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>(female) teacher</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Industrie<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>industry</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <p>Many that end in <B>-e</B> are also feminine.</p> <table frame="all" width="100%"> <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><B>Lampe<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p><B>lamp</B></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Kreide<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>chalk</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Küche<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>kitchen</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Tante<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>aunt</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <p>Nouns that end in <B>-chen</B> and <B>-lein</B> are diminutives and are neuter.</p> <table frame="all" width="100%"> <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><B>Mädchen<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>girl</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Vöglein<markup role="dot"/></B></p></td> <td><p>little bird</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <p>Sometimes a noun can have two genders. In such cases, the noun usually has two different meanings. For example, the masculine form of <B>See</B> means “lake.” When it's feminine it means “sea.”</p>  <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/" title="German Grammar Basics">German Grammar Basics</a></li><li class="next"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/the-art-of-articles.htm" title="The Art of Articles">The Art of Articles</a> </li></ul></div></div> <div id="coda"> <div id="rel"><div class="n5">Related Articles</div><ul> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/names-and-nouns.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Names and Nouns - German Phrases </a></li> <li><a href="http://spanish.about.com/cs/grammar/a/neuter.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> The Neuter Gender in Spanish </a></li> <li><a href="http://homeworktips.about.com/od/studymethods/ss/studyspanish.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> How to Study Spanish </a></li> <li><a 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class="col2"><li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/adjectives.htm">Adjectives</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/adverbs.htm">Adverbs</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/know-your-pronouns.htm">Know Your Pronouns</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/being-negative.htm">Being Negative</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-phrases/german-grammar-basics/asking-questions.htm">Asking Questions</a></li> </ul></ul></div> </div> <script>if(zSbL<1)zSbL=3;zSB(2);zSbL=0</script> </div> <div id="widgets"><script type="text/javascript">if(z336>0){w('<div id="adB">'+ap[0]+at[4]+as[0]);adunit('','','about.com',ch,gs,336,280,'1','bb',3);w('</div>')}if(z155>0){w('<div id="adP">'+ap[0]+at[4]+as[0]);adunit('','','about.com',ch,gs,336,155,'1','ps',4);w('</div>')}</script> <div id="pg" class="pane"><div 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