German N-Declension: The B2 Guide to Weak Masculine Nouns

What Is N-Declension?

In standard German noun declension, the article changes but the noun itself stays the same: der Mann → des Mannes → dem Mann → den Mann. A small group of masculine nouns — called weak nouns (schwache Nomen) — behave differently. They add -n or -en in every case except Nominative singular.

So instead of: Ich sehe den Student — you must write: Ich sehe den Studenten. Forget that ending and your sentence is grammatically wrong, which is an automatic point deduction in the Goethe writing exam. The good news: once you know which nouns belong to this group, applying the rule is mechanical.

Declension Table

All weak nouns follow the same pattern. Here it is for der Student:

The rule: add -en everywhere except Nominative singular. A handful of nouns ending in -e in Nominative (like der Junge) add only -n: des Jungen, dem Jungen, den Jungen.

Which Nouns Belong to This Group?

The tricky part isn't conjugation — it's knowing which nouns are weak. The reliable patterns:

• Masculine nouns ending in -e: der Junge, der Kollege, der Neffe, der Zeuge, der Experte, der Kunde, der Kandidat...
• Masculine nouns for nationalities / people ending in -e: der Franzose, der Türke, der Chinese, der Russe...
• Masculine nouns ending in -ent, -ant, -ist, -at, -oge: der Student, der Assistent, der Praktikant, der Journalist, der Demokrat, der Biologe...
• A few irregular masculine nouns: der Herr (→ des Herrn), der Mensch, der Bauer, der Nachbar, der Bär...

Example Sentences

Most Common Mistakes

Forgetting the -en in Accusative. This is the single most frequent error. Learners correctly decline in Dative ("dem Studenten") but write "Ich sehe den Student" instead of "den Studenten". Every non-Nominative singular needs the ending — Accusative included.

Applying N-declension to feminine or neuter nouns. The rule only applies to a specific group of masculine nouns. "die Frau", "das Kind", "die Natur" — these never get the weak ending. When in doubt, check whether the noun is masculine and belongs to one of the suffix patterns above.

Forgetting the Genitive. Because Genitive appears less often in speech, learners often remember Dative and Accusative but blank on "des Studenten". In formal writing — and in Goethe B2 reading texts — Genitive is common.

Study Tips

The most effective way to learn weak nouns is not to memorise a long list but to encounter them repeatedly in real sentences. When you see "dem Kollegen" in a text, don't just note the meaning — note the ending. After a few encounters the pattern becomes automatic.

Use spaced repetition: review a few weak nouns each day rather than cramming the full list once. GermanChunks has dedicated N-declension cards where you see the noun in context and have to recall the correct ending. Cards you miss come back sooner; cards you know well return later. Read more about the method in the spaced repetition guide.

• Learn weak nouns in full sentences, not in isolation.
• Pay special attention to Accusative — it's the most commonly missed case.
• Group nouns by suffix: all -ent nouns, all -ist nouns, etc.
• For the Genitive special forms (-ns), memorise them as fixed chunks: "des Namens", "des Herzens".