German loves compound nouns! You’ll often find long words that are made up of two or more shorter words. Don’t be afraid — once you break them down, they’re easy to understand.
🎯 Learning Goals
- Understand how German compounds work
- Identify the main noun (which determines the gender)
- Learn how to guess the meaning of new compound nouns
- Practice creating and interpreting compound nouns
🧱 How Compound Nouns Work
A compound noun is made by combining two or more nouns into one word. The last word determines the gender and plural form.
Examples:
| Compound | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| der Haustürschlüssel | house door key | der |
| die Sonnenbrille | sun glasses | die |
| das Kinderbuch | children’s book | das |
- Haus + Tür + Schlüssel → der Haustürschlüssel
- Sonne + Brille → die Sonnenbrille
- Kind + Buch → das Kinderbuch
> 💡 The final noun determines gender and plural:
> - das Buch → das Kinderbuch
> - der Schlüssel → der Haustürschlüssel
💬 Dialog
Lisa und Tom packen für den Urlaub.
Tom: Hast du den Reisepass?
Lisa: Ja, und auch die Sonnenbrille.
Tom: Wo ist der Haustürschlüssel?
Lisa: Ich glaube, er liegt im Wohnzimmer.
Tom: Und das Ladekabel?
Lisa: Das Handyladekabel ist im Rucksack.
📚 Vocabulary
| German | English |
|---|---|
| der Schlüssel | key |
| die Sonnenbrille | sunglasses |
| das Kinderbuch | children's book |
| der Reisepass | passport |
| das Handyladekabel | phone charging cable |
| der Rucksack | backpack |
| das Wohnzimmer | living room |
✏️ Exercises
1. What do these compounds mean?
a) der Zahnarzt
b) das Schlafzimmer
c) der Apfelsaft
d) das Arbeitszimmer
e) die Wasserflasche
Solution:
a) tooth doctor → dentist
b) sleep room → bedroom
c) apple juice
d) work room → office
e) water bottle
2. What is the gender of each compound noun?
a) der Flugzeugpilot
b) das Hausboot
c) die Milchflasche
d) der Taschenrechner
e) das Wörterbuch
Solution:
a) der (main noun: Pilot)
b) das (main noun: Boot)
c) die (main noun: Flasche)
d) der (main noun: Rechner)
e) das (main noun: Buch)
3. Create a compound noun from the pairs and translate
a) Kind + Zimmer
b) Auto + Tür
c) Schule + Tasche
d) Hand + Uhr
e) Kaffee + Tasse
Solution:
a) das Kinderzimmer – children's room
b) die Autotür – car door
c) die Schultasche – school bag
d) die Handuhr – wristwatch
e) die Kaffeetasse – coffee cup
🧠 Tips and Notes
- Most compound nouns are written as one word (no spaces).
- If it’s hard to read, German uses a linking letter like -s-, -n-, -en-, etc.
- das Geburtstagsgeschenk (birthday gift)
- Always look at the last noun to determine the gender and plural.
- You can often guess the meaning of new words by breaking them apart!