FormNomen + -ung / -heit / -keit → die
Meaning and usage
Many German nouns that end in -ung, -heit or -keit are feminine, so they take die: die Zeitung, die Wohnung, die Wahrheit, die Möglichkeit. This ending is a strong clue to the gender, and it helps you guess the article of a new word. A small group of nouns in -ung is masculine, for example der Sprung and der Schwung, so treat the rule as a tendency, not a law.
Learners often pick der or das for long abstract nouns because the meaning feels neutral. The ending is the better guide: when you meet a noun in -ung, -heit or -keit, learn it together with die from the start.
Examples 6
Bring mir bitte die Zeitung von heute.
Bring me today's paper, please.
Hier ist der Schlüssel für meine Wohnung.
Here's the key to my apartment.
Ich werde dir jetzt die Wahrheit sagen.
I'll tell you the truth now.
Du machst mir die Entscheidung nicht leichter.
You're not making the decision any easier for me.
Er ist eine Gefahr für die Gesellschaft.
He is a danger to society.
Lass uns die Vergangenheit hinter uns lassen.
Let's put the past behind us.
Test yourself
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1 Sprachbausteine
Ich lese jeden Morgen Zeitung.
Show answer
Correct answer: die
Zeitung ends in -ung, and nouns with this ending are usually feminine, so the accusative form is die.
- den is masculine accusative, and Zeitung is feminine.
- der is masculine, and Zeitung is not masculine.
- das is neuter, and Zeitung is not neuter.
In this topic: Noun gender
- der, die, das the three definite articles: der, die, das
- ein, eine a or an: ein, eine
- die: -ung, -heit, -keit Nouns in -ung, -heit, -keit are usually feminine
- die: nouns in -e Most nouns ending in -e are feminine
- der: Tage, Monate, Jahreszeiten Days, months, seasons and weather words take der
- das: -chen, das Essen Diminutives in -chen and -lein are neuter
- die Haustür Compound nouns take the gender of their last part
Example sentences from Tatoeba, used under CC BY 2.0 FR. See sources.