N-Declension (Weak Nouns) in German

Overview

The N-declension (N-Deklination) is a special pattern that applies to a group of masculine nouns in German. These nouns add -n or -en in every case except the nominative singular. At the B1 level, understanding this pattern is important because many common nouns follow it, including der Junge (boy), der Student (student), der Mensch (person), and der Herr (gentleman/Mr.).

Most German nouns only change their articles when the case changes, but N-declension nouns change the noun itself. For example, "I see the boy" is Ich sehe den Jungen (not den Junge), and "the heart of man" is das Herz des Menschen (not des Mensch). Forgetting this ending is one of the most common errors at the intermediate level.

The good news is that N-declension nouns share identifiable characteristics: they are almost always masculine, often refer to living beings, and frequently end in -e, -ent, -ant, -ist, or -at. Learning to recognize these patterns will help you apply the rule correctly.

How It Works

Declension Pattern

Case	Standard Masculine (der Tisch)	N-Declension (der Junge)	N-Declension (der Student)
Nominative	der Tisch	der Junge	der Student
Accusative	den Tisch	den Jungen	den Studenten
Dative	dem Tisch	dem Jungen	dem Studenten
Genitive	des Tisches	des Jungen	des Studenten

Which Nouns Follow N-Declension?

Category	Examples	Ending Added
Masculine nouns ending in -e	der Junge, der Kollege, der Kunde, der Löwe	-n
Masculine nouns ending in -ent	der Student, der Patient, der Präsident	-en
Masculine nouns ending in -ant	der Demonstrant, der Elefant	-en
Masculine nouns ending in -ist	der Tourist, der Journalist, der Polizist	-en
Masculine nouns ending in -at	der Soldat, der Demokrat, der Kandidat	-en
Other common nouns	der Mensch, der Herr, der Bauer, der Nachbar	-en (-n for Herr)

Special Case: der Herr

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	der Herr	die Herren
Accusative	den Herrn	die Herren
Dative	dem Herrn	den Herren
Genitive	des Herrn	der Herren

Note: Herr adds only -n in the singular but -en in the plural.

Mixed N-Declension: der Name

A few nouns add -ns in the genitive instead of -n:

Case	Form
Nominative	der Name
Accusative	den Namen
Dative	dem Namen
Genitive	des Namens

Other examples: der Buchstabe (letter), der Gedanke (thought), der Glaube (belief), das Herz (heart -- the only neuter N-declension noun).

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Ich sehe den Jungen.	I see the boy.	Accusative: -n added
Das Herz des Menschen.	The heart of man.	Genitive: -en added
Ich helfe dem Studenten.	I help the student.	Dative: -en added
Kennen Sie den Herrn?	Do you know the gentleman?	Accusative: Herr → Herrn
Der Kunde wartet.	The customer is waiting.	Nominative: no change
Ich frage den Kollegen.	I ask the colleague.	Accusative: -n added
Das Büro des Präsidenten.	The president's office.	Genitive: -en added
Er gibt dem Patienten die Medizin.	He gives the patient the medicine.	Dative: -en added
Der Tourist fotografiert den Löwen.	The tourist photographs the lion.	Both are N-declension nouns
Ich kenne den Namen nicht.	I don't know the name.	Mixed: Namen in acc.

Common Mistakes

Forgetting the -n/-en ending in non-nominative cases

• Wrong: Ich sehe den Junge.
• Right: Ich sehe den Jungen.
• Why: N-declension nouns must add -n or -en in the accusative, dative, and genitive. The nominative is the only case where the base form appears.

Applying N-declension to non-qualifying nouns

• Wrong: Ich sehe den Tischen. (Tisch is not N-declension)
• Right: Ich sehe den Tisch.
• Why: N-declension only applies to specific masculine nouns (mostly living beings with certain endings). Regular masculine nouns do not change in the accusative.

Using the wrong genitive for mixed N-declension nouns

• Wrong: des Namen (missing the -s)
• Right: des Namens
• Why: A small group of N-declension nouns (Name, Buchstabe, Gedanke, Glaube) add -ns in the genitive, not just -n.

Usage Notes

In colloquial spoken German, N-declension endings are sometimes dropped, especially in the accusative. You might hear "Ich frage den Student" instead of "den Studenten" in casual speech. However, this is considered incorrect in standard German and should be avoided in writing or formal contexts. The trend toward dropping N-declension endings is a known development in modern German, but for B1 proficiency and beyond, applying the endings correctly is expected.

Practice Tips

1. Make flashcards for the most common N-declension nouns and practice them in accusative and dative sentences. Focus on Junge, Student, Mensch, Herr, Kollege, Kunde, and Nachbar as these appear most frequently.
2. When you encounter a new masculine noun ending in -e, -ent, -ant, -ist, or -at, check whether it follows N-declension. Most of them will, and recognizing the pattern saves you from memorizing each noun individually.
3. Write short paragraphs using multiple N-declension nouns in different cases to build muscle memory for the endings.

Related Concepts

• Dative Case (Articles) — the parent concept explaining dative forms, which interact with N-declension endings