The gender of nouns (nouns) in German is particularly difficult for language learners, since the gender of German words often does not coincide with the gender of Russian words, and sometimes even seems illogical (for example, der Busen - breast (female), das Mädel - girl, das Kind - child).

In the German language there are three genders of nouns: masculine (Maskulinum), feminine (Femininum) and neuter (Neutrum). They correspond to articles: ein and der – masculine, eine and die – feminine, ein and das – neuter. At the initial stage of learning, it is recommended to learn words immediately with an article, since it is often difficult to determine gender without an article. Those who consider themselves advanced in learning German will be helped to determine the type of meaning of words and their suffixes and prefixes. However, it is possible to determine the genus by following the rules in approximately 50% of cases.

Usually, The masculine gender in German includes nouns. with the following suffixes:

• -er-: der Lehrer, der Zucker, der Computer. BUT! das Messer, das Fenster, das Monster.
• -ig-: der Honig, der Käfig, der Essig.
• -ich-: der Teppich, der Anstrich, der Kranich.
• -ling-: der Lehrling, der Frühling, der Zwilling. BUT! Die Reling
• -el-: der Schlüssel, der Ärmel, der Apfel.
• -s-: der Schnaps, der Keks, der Krebs.
• -ismus-: der Hinduismus, der Kapitalismus, der Sozialismus.
• -ant-: der Praktikant, der Demonstrant, der Lieferant.
• -or-: der Motor, der Konduktor, der Rektor.
• -eur-/ör: der Friseur, der Ingenieur, der Kollaborateur, der Likör.
• -us-: der Zirkus, der Kasus, der Numerus.
• -ent-: der Student, der Dozent, der Produzent.
• -ist-: der Polizist, der Kommunist, der Spezialist.
• -är-: der Revolutionär, der Reaktionär, der Millionär.
• -loge-: der Kardiologe, der Philologe, der Biologe.
• -and-: der Proband, der Doktorand, der Habilitand.
• -ast-: der Gymnasiast, der Fantast, der Kontrast.

The following nouns also belong to the masculine gender:

• formed from the root of the verb, sometimes with a change in the root vowel: der Schluss, der Fall, der Gang.
• Some words with the suffix -e- (the so-called weak declension) denoting male creatures (animals, people, nationalities): der Hase, der Junge, der Zeuge, der Russe, der Pole...

Most nouns are feminine. with suffixes:

• -e-: die Liebe, die Brille, die Schule. BUT! Der Name, das Interesse, das Ende.
• -ung-: die Wohnung, die Übung, die Werbung.
• -keit-: die Geschwindigkeit, die Kleinigkeit, die Höflichkeit.
• -heit-: die Wahrheit, die Einheit, die Krankheit.
• -schaft-: die Freundschaft, die Liebschaft, die Verwandtschaft.
• -ei-: die Druckerei, die Polizei, die Bücherei.
• -ie-: die Kopie, die Geographie, die Familie.
• -ät-: die Universität, die Qualität, die Realität.
• -itis-: die Bronchitis, die Pankreatitis, die Cholezystitis.
• -ik-: die Musik, die Politik, die Klinik.
• -ur-: die Kultur, die Frisur, die Temperatur.
• -age-: die Reportage, die Garage, die Blamage.
• -anz-: die Ignoranz, die Toleranz, die Distanz.
• -enz-: die Intelligenz, die Existenz, die Tendenz.
• -ion-: die Lektion, die Station, die Explosion.
• -a-: die Kamera, die Ballerina, die Aula.
• -ade-: die Olympiade, die Ballade, die Marmelade.
• -ette-: die Tablette, die Pinzette, die Toilette.
• -ose-: die Neurose, die Sklerose, die Psychose.
• - st-, formed from the verbs: die Gunst, die Kunst. BUT! Der Verdienst.
• -t-, formed from verbs: die Fahrt, die Macht, die Schrift.

The neuter gender includes nouns. with suffixes:

• -chen-, sometimes with alternating vowels in the root: das Märchen, das Mütterchen, das Hähnchen.
• -lein-, also with alternation in the root: das Büchlein, das Fräulein, das Kindlein.
• -um-: das Museum, das Stadium, das Datum.
• -ment-: das Regiment, das Document, das Engagement.
• -ett-: das Ballett, das Tablett, das Büfett.
• -ma-: das Thema, das Klima, das Schema.
• -ing-: das Shopping, das Training, das Jogging. BUT! der Browning, der Pudding.
• -o-: das Auto, das Konto, das Büro.
• -in-: das Benzin, das Cholesterin, das Nikotin.

The neuter gender also includes:

• verbal nouns formed from the infinitive: das Lesen, das Schreiben, das Hören.
• most nouns ending -tum: das Christentum, das Altertum, das Eigentum. BUT! der Irrtum, der Reichtum.
• most nouns ending -nis: das Ergebnis, das Bekenntnis, das Verständnis. BUT! die Erkenntnis, die Kenntnis, die Erlaubnis, die Finsternis.
• most nouns with the prefix ge-: das Gedicht, das Gemüse, das Gelände. BUT! die Gefahr, die Geschichte.
• substantivized adjectives: das Böse, das Gute, das Schlimmste.

Gender noun in German it can also be determined by meaning, although in this case there are even more exceptions.

So, The following names belong to the masculine gender:

• living male creatures: der Vater, der Arzt, der König;
• days of the week, months, seasons, parts of the world, natural phenomena: der Montag, der Winter, der Süden, der Schnee;
• train car brands: Mercedes, VW, Express;
• minerals, stones, incl. precious: der Sand, der Smaragd, der Rubin;
• most drink names: der Wein, der Cognac, der Tee. BUT! Die Milch, das Bier, das Wasser.

The feminine gender names include:

• females: die Frau, die Schwester, die Tochter. BUT! das Weib, das Mädel, das Fräulein;
• trees and flowers, some fruits: die Birke, die Eiche, die Narzisse, die Mango. BUT! Der Apfel, der Pfirsich, das Vergissmeinnicht;
• airplanes, ships, cigarette brands: die Boeing, die Falcon, die Titanic, die Europa, die Kamel, die Marlboro;
• numbers: die Drei, die Zehn, die Million. BUT! das Dutzend.

The neuter gender includes names:

• young creatures: das Kind, das Baby, das Ferkel;
• metals and chemical elements: das Kalzium, das Eisen, das Jod. BUT! Der Schwefel, der Phosphor, complex nouns. with the root -stoff: der Wasserstoff, der Sauerstoff;
• fractional numbers: das Viertel, das Drittel, das Zehntel;
• countries, continents and cities: das alte Europa, das heiße Afrika, das kalte Sibirien. BUT! Die Schweiz, die Ukraine, die Niederlanden (pl), die USA (pl), die Türkei, die Slowakei, die Mongolei, der Iran, der Iraq, der Jemen, der Sudan;
• physical units of measurement: das Volt, das Ampere, das Kilogramm.

The German language is famous for its compound words (those with 2 or more roots). The genus of such beings. determined by the last word:

Das Blei + der Stift = der Bleistift.

Die Reihe + das Haus = das Reihenhaus.

Das Schlafzimmer + die Tür = die Schlafzimmertür.

If you still have doubts and cannot accurately determine the gender of a being. in German, then don’t be lazy to look in the dictionary - then you definitely won’t make a mistake.

Der, die or das? How to define articles in German? When to use the definite or indefinite article? How to determine the gender of a noun and how to use German articles? Almost all nouns in the German language are preceded by a small word that scares even native speakers, but we will not be intimidated, we will analyze it in our video and article.

Nouns in German, as in Russian, have a gender category - masculine, feminine or neuter. At the same time, the gender of nouns in German and Russian often does not coincide. For example:

das Haus- neuter, and house- male
die Fliese- feminine, and tile- male

Therefore, nouns must be memorized with an article, which indicates the gender of the noun. Remembering the gender of nouns is often difficult, but many nouns have some features that help determine the gender of those nouns. The gender of nouns can be determined:

- according to the meaning of the word;
- by the method of word formation (by the form of the word).

1.1. Masculine (by meaning)

Male persons - der Mann(man), der Junge(boy)
- male animals - der Bär(bear)
- cardinal directions - der Norden(north)
- Seasons - der Sommer(summer), der Winter(winter)
- names of months - der Januar(January), der Mai(May), in September(September)
- days of the week - der Montag(Monday), der Mittwoch(Wednesday), der Sonntag(Sunday)
- times of day - der Morgen(morning), But die Nacht(night)
- precipitation - der Regen(rain), der Schnee(snow)
- minerals - der Granit(granite)
- stones - der Rubin(ruby)
- names of mountains - der Harz(Harz)
- names of lakes - der Baikal(Baikal)
- alcohol - der Wodka(vodka), der Sekt(sparkling wine), but das Bier(beer)
- monetary units - der Euro(euro), but die Kopeke(kopeck), die Krone(crown), die Mark(brand)
- celestial bodies - der Mond(moon), but die Venus(Venus), die Sonne(Sun)
- names of car brands - der Opel, der BMW

1.2. Masculine (by form)

-er— der Fahrer (driver)
-ler - der Sportler (sportsman)
-ner - der Gärtner (gardener)
-ling— der Lehrling (student)
-s - der Fuchs (fox)

Note: don't confuse the suffix <-er> in derived nouns with words whose roots end in <-er> : die Mutter, die Tochter, das Fenster, etc.

Foreign words (mostly animate) with suffixes:
-ent - der Student (student)
-ant - der Laborant (laboratory assistant)
-ist - der Publizist (publicist)
-et - der Poet (poet)
-ot - der Pilot (pilot)
-at - der Kandidat (candidate)
-soph - der Philosopher (philosopher)
-nom - der Astronom (astronomer)
-graph - der Photograph (photographer)
-eur - der Ingenieur (engineer)
-ier - der Pionier (pioneer)
-ar - der Jubilar (celebrant of the day)
-är - der Sekretär (secretary)
-or - der Doktor (doctor)

Note: inanimate nouns with suffixes <-ent>, <-at>, <-et> can be either masculine or neuter: der Kontinent - das Patent, der Apparat - das Referat, der Planet - das Alphabet.

Nouns formed from verb roots without a suffix (often with a change in the root vowel)
der Ga ng - (from ge hen)
der Gru ß - (from grü ßen)
der Spru ng - (from spri ngen), But das Spiel

2.1. Feminine (by meaning)

- female persons - die Frau(woman), but das Mädchen (see neuter gender)
- female animals - die Kuh(cow), but das Huhn(chicken), das Schaf(sheep)
- names of trees - die Birke(birch), But der Ahorn(maple)
- names of colors - die Aster(aster), Butder Mohn(poppy), der Kaktus(cactus)
- names of berries - die Himbeere(raspberries)
- name of fruits and vegetables - die Birne(pear), But der Apfel(apple), der Pfirsich(peach), der Kohl(cabbage), der Kurbis(pumpkin)
- most German rivers - die Elbe, die Oder, die Spree, But der Rhein, der Main, der Neckar

2.2. Feminine (by form)

Nouns with suffixes:
-in die Laborantin (lab assistant)
-ung –die Übung (exercise)
-heit –die Freiheit (freedom)
-keit—die Möglichkeit (possibility)
-schaft -die Landschaft (landscape)
-ei—die Malerei (painting)

Foreign words with stressed suffixes:
-ie -die Chemie (chemistry)
-tät —die Universität (university)
-tion –die Station (station)
-ur —die Kultur (culture)
-ik —die Physik (physics)
-age —die Reportage (report)
-ade –die Fassade (facade)
-anz —die Ambulanz (outpatient clinic)
-enz —die Existenz (existence)

Most nouns with suffix -e (mostly two syllables):
die Liebe (love)
die Kälte (cold)
die Hilfe (help)
die Lampe (lamp)

Note: there are also a number of nouns male ending in -e: der Kollege, der Russe, der Junge, der Name, der Gedanke, der Käse and several nouns neuter: das Ende, das Interesse, das Auge.

Nouns formed from verbs using a suffix -t:
die Fahrt (riding)
die Kunst (art)
die Macht (power)

Cheat sheets on the topic to save and use:

3.2. Neuter (form)

Nouns with suffixes:
-chen—das Mädchen (girl)
-lein -das Tischlein (table)
-(s)tel —das Fünftel (one fifth)

Most nouns with suffixes:
-tum
das Eigentum (property), But der Reichtum, der Irrtum -nis
das Verhältnis (attitude), But die Kenntnis, die Erlaubnis

Foreign words (objects and abstract concepts) ending in:
-(i)um—das Stadium (stadium)
-ett —das Kabinett (office)
-ment —das Document (document)
-ma-das Drama (drama)
-o —das Kino (cinema)

Prefixed nouns Ge-:
das Ge wässer (water)
das Ge Birge (mountain range)
das Ge mälde (picture)

Substantivized infinitives:
das Laufen (running) - from laufen (to run)
das Lesen (reading) - from lesen (read)

Male (der Vater, der Held, der Kater, der Rabe)
2. Names of seasons, months, days of the week, parts of the day (der Winter, der Januar, der Montag, der Abend)
3. Name of parts of the world (der Norden, der Osten)
4. Name of currencies (der Rubel, der Dollar)
5. Title (der Schnee, der Regen)
The feminine gender includes:
1. Animate feminine nouns (die Frau, die Katze, die Kuh)
2. Names of most fruits and berries (die Tanne, die Tulpe, die Birne)
3. Names of ships (die Titanik)
The neuter gender includes:
1. Name of children and cubs (das Kind, das Kalb)
2. Names of continents, countries, cities (das Europa, das Berlin, das Russland)

Determining the gender of nouns by word formation: The masculine gender includes:
1. Many monosyllabic verbal nouns (der Gang, der Klang)
2. Nouns with suffixes –e, -er, -ner, -ler, -ling, -el, -aner, -en (der Arbeiter, der Junge, der Lehrling, der Garten)
3. Borrowed nouns with suffixes -at, -et, -ant, -ent, -ist, -ismus, -ar, -ier, -eur, -or, -ot, -it (der Kapitalismus, der Aspirant, der Agronom )
The feminine gender includes:
1. Nouns with suffixes -in, -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ei (die Malerei, die Lehrerin, die Kindheit, die Freundshaft)
2. Borrowed nouns with suffixes -el, -ei, -ie, -ik, -ion, -tion, -tat, -ur (die Melodie, die Aspirantur, die Revolution)
The neuter gender includes:
1. Nouns with suffixes -chen, -lein, -tel, -um (das Heldentum, das Hindernis)
2. Borrowed inanimate nouns with suffixes -ment, -nis, -ent, -at, -al (das Museum, das Dekanat)
3. Collective nouns with semi-suffixes –zeug, -werk, -gut (das Spielzeug, das Buschwerk)

Gender of compound nouns: The gender of compound nouns depends on the gender of the word being defined (usually the second part of the compound word)
die Eisenbahn = das Eisen (defining) + die Bahn (defining)

Gender of substantivized parts of speech: 1. Substantivized infinitive, conjunctions, prepositions, adverbs, interjections belong to the neuter gender (das Lernen, das Aber)
2. Substantivized cardinal numbers are feminine (die Drei, die Acht)

Helpful advice

There are a number of exceptions to these rules. Therefore, if possible, when determining the gender of nouns in German, it is better to check the dictionary.

Sources:

• how to determine the gender of nouns in German

Tip 2: How to determine the gender of nouns in German

In German there are three genders: masculine (das Maskulinum), feminine (das Femininum), neuter (das Neutrum). When determining the gender of a noun, certain difficulties often arise, so you should be patient and try to remember some rules.

Instructions

One of the ways to determine gender is gender by the meaning of the noun. The masculine gender includes the names of: - male persons der Brude, der Mann; - male animals der Bulle, der Hase; - male professions der Arzt, der Lehrer; - seasons , months, days of the week and parts of the day der Sommer, der Mittwoch, der Morgen, but das Fruhjahr, die Nacht; - parts of the world der Norden; der Westen;- natural phenomena der Hauch, der Nebel;- alcoholic and spirits drinks der Rum, der Wein;- car brands der Ford, der Volga;- minerals, precious stones, rocks der Opal, der Sand, but die Kreide, die Perle;- some mountains, mountain ranges, peaks, volcanoes der Elbrus, but die Rhon, die Tatra;- many birds der Schwan, der Falke, but die Gans, die Drossel;- many fish and crayfish der Krebs, but die Sardine ;- banknotes and der Pfennig, der Euro, but die Kopeke, die Lira.

The feminine gender includes the names of: - female persons die Mutter, die Schwester, but das Weib; - female animals die Bache, die Kuh, but das Huhn, der Panter; - professions die Lehrerin; - many ships, even if they are named male name, many aircraft, motorcycles (due to the fact that die Maschine) die Titanic, die TU-154, but der General san Martin. The names of ships derived from the names of animals, as a rule, retain their gender; - trees, except those on -baum die Erle, die Tanne, but der Baobab, der Ahorn; - flowers die Nelke, die Tulpe, but der Kaktus, das Veilchen;- vegetables and fruits die Tomate, die Birne, but der Apfel, der Spargel;- berries (most often those ending in -beere) die Brombeere, die Erdbeere;- cigarettes and cigars die Hawanna, die West;- German rivers, rivers of other countries ending in -a, -au, -e die Spree, die Wolga. The exceptions are the names of German rivers: der Rhein, der Main, der Neckar, der Lech, der Regen. Most of the names of rivers in other countries, as well as seas and oceans, are masculine: der Ganges, der Atlantik, but die Norsee, die Ostsee; - most insects die Laus, die Spinne, but der Floh, der Kakerlak.

Nouns in German, as in Russian, can be of three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter:

der (ein) Mann (m) – man (masculine – Maskulinum),
die (eine) Frau (f) – woman (feminine – Femininum),
das (ein) Fenster (n) – window (neuter gender – Neutrum).

Gender in German, as you can see, is expressed through the article.

The man will, of course, be masculine, and the woman will be feminine.

das Weib (woman, woman) and das Mädchen (girl, girl) are neuter.

But with inanimate objects it’s more difficult. They, as in Russian, are not necessarily of the neuter, “neutral” gender, but belong to different genders. Closet in Russian for some reason it’s a man, but shelf- a woman, although they have no sexual characteristics. It's the same in German. The trouble is that gender in Russian and German often does not match, that Germans see the gender of objects differently. It may (by chance) coincide, it may not. For example, der Schrank (cabinet)- male, das Regal (shelf)– average.

You should try to remember the word in German with the article!

Sometimes you can guess by the shape of a word what kind it is. For example, by how the word ends. Like in Russian words for -ost, – tion, – ia, – aya, – tsa, – ka, – a...– feminine, and German words in:

die Melo die– melody, die Situa tion– situation, die Kult ur– culture, die Tend enz - trend, die Speziali tät– a traditional dish (of a region), die Maler ei– painting, die Fest ung– fortress, die Frei heit– freedom, die Möglich keit– opportunity, die Wissen schaft- the science…

Some suffixes, which in Russian correspond to the masculine gender, in German, on the contrary, are a sign of the feminine gender: die Reg ion – region, die Diagn ose– diagnosis, die Gar age- garage…

Words ending with -e, most often feminine: die Wanne – bath, die Woche – week. This -e corresponds to the Russian ending -and I). But in Russian there are also masculine words with a similar ending (uncle, cabin boy). Same in German: der Junge - boy.

Note also that the words in -ling always masculine: Lehr ling (student, journeyman).

Many one-syllable (sometimes two-syllable - due to the prefix) nouns formed from verbs belong to the masculine gender:

der Beginn< – beginnen (начало – начинать), der Blick < – blicken (взгляд, вид – взглянуть), der Klang < – klingen (звук – звучать), der Begriff < – begreifen (понятие – понимать), der Sieg < – siegen (победа – побеждать). But: das Spiel< – spielen (игра – играть).

The matter is also greatly simplified by the fact that you can take any verb in the indefinite form and attach a neuter article to it. The process name will be:

das Sprechen< – sprechen (говорение – говорить), das Leben < – leben (жизнь – жить), das Essen < – essen (еда – есть).

Signs that a word is masculine:

Signs that a word is feminine:

Signs that a word is neuter:

It is interesting that some nouns have different meanings depending on their gender. For example:

der See (lake) – die See (sea),
der Band (volume) – das Band (tape),
das Steuer (steering wheel, steering wheel) – die Steuer (tax),
der Leiter (leader) – die Leiter (ladder),
der Tor (fool) – das Tor (gate),
der Schild (shield) – das Schild (signboard, tablet),
der Bauer (peasant) – das Bauer (cage)

a. by semantic meaning

• male persons:
  der Mann - man, der Onkel - uncle;
• male animals:
  der Bär - bear, der Hahn - rooster;
• names of countries of the world, lakes, mountains and winds:
  der Osten - east, der Bodensee - Lake Constance,
  der Harz - Harz, der Taifun - typhoon;
• names of seasons, months and days of the week:
  der Sommer - summer, der Januar - January, der Sonntag - Sunday.

b. according to form

• nouns with suffixes -er, -neg, -ler, -ling:
  der Schlosser - mechanic, der Redner - speaker,
  der Sportler - athlete, der Lehrling - student;
• most of the nouns formed from the stem of the verb without adding a suffix:
  der Lauf (running) - from laufen (to run)
  der Sprung (jump) - from springen (jump);
• foreign language (borrowed from other languages) nouns with suffixes -ist, -ent, -ant, -eur, -är, -or, -ismus:
  der Polizist, der Student, der Aspirant, der Ingenieur, der Militär, der Doktor, der Egoismus.

The feminine gender in German includes:

a. by semantic meaning

nouns meaning:
• female persons:
  die Frau - woman, die Tante - aunt.
  Exception: das Mädchen - girl, girl, das Weib - woman, woman;
• some female animals:
  die Kuh - cow, die Katze - cat.
  Exception: das Schaf - sheep;
• names of most flowers, trees and songbirds:
  die Rose - rose, die Tanne - spruce, die Eiche - oak,
  die Lerche - lark, die Nachtigall - nightingale;
• names of most German rivers:
  die Elbe - Elbe, die Spree - Spree, die Saale - Saale, etc.
  Exception: der Rhein, der Main, der Neckar, der Inn;
• names of rivers that have feminine equivalents in Russian:
  die Wolga - Volga, die Oka - Oka, die Kama - Kama ( with the exception of: der Ob - Ob).

b. according to form

• nouns with suffixes -in, -ung, -keit, -heit, -schaft, -ei:

• -in:
  die Sängerin - singer
  die Bärin - she-bear
• - ung:
  die Forderung - requirement
  die Zeitung - newspaper
• - keit:
  die Möglichkeit - opportunity
  die Richtigkeit - correctness
• -heit:
  die Kindheit - childhood
  die Neuheit - news
• - schaft:
  die Wirtschaft - farming
  die Bereitschaft - readiness
• -ei:
  die Bäckerei - bakery
  die Bücherei - library;

• borrowed nouns with suffixes -ie, -ik, -ion, -tion, -tät, -ur:
  die Chemie, die Mathematik, die Million, die Organisation, die Fakultät, die Natur.

The neuter gender in German includes:

a. by semantic meaning

• names of parts of the world, countries and cities:
  (das) Europa - Europe, (das) China - China, (das) Belgien - Belgium,
  (das) München - Munich, (das) Prag - Prague, etc.
  Exception: country names ending with -ei, -au:
  die Mongolei - Mongolia, die Moldau - Moldova, and also die Schweiz - Switzerland,
  der Iran - Iran, die Ukraine - Ukraine and some others;
• names of metals:
  das Eisen - iron, das Gold - gold, etc.
  Exception: der Stahl - steel, der Schwefel - sulfur;
• names of children (baby animals):
  das Kind - child, das Kalb - calf, das Lamm - lamb, etc.;
• letter names:
  das "A", das "Z".

b. according to form

• diminutive nouns with suffixes -chen, -lein and with suffixes -tel, -tum:
  das Häuschen - house, das Büchlein - little book,
  das Viertel - quarter, das Eigentum - property;
• nouns formed from adjectives by means of a suffix -e and denoting abstract concepts:
  das Neue - new, das Interessante - interesting;
• borrowed nouns with suffix -um, -ment:
  das Museum - museum, das Dokument - document.

Some German nouns, with the same spelling and pronunciation, have different meanings depending on their gender:
• die See (sea) - der See (lake);
  die Steuer (tax) - das Steuer (steering wheel), etc.

The gender of nouns in German and Russian often does not match, so it is necessary to remember nouns with a definite article.

Compare:

• das Pferd (neuter) - horse (feminine);
  der Hund (masculine) - dog (feminine);
  der Baum (masculine) - tree (neuter);
  die Stunde (feminine) - lesson (masculine);
  der Spiegel (masculine) - mirror (neuter), etc.

The gender of any noun can be checked in a dictionary. In dictionaries, the following abbreviations are used to indicate the gender of a noun:
• m(from the Latin word masculinum- masculine);
• f(from the Latin word feminine- feminine gender);
• n(from the Latin word neutral- neuter gender).