Appearance
German Student Dictionary — Part 55
Dictionary entries, alphabetical: Nichte – nur.
Maskulin Feminin Neutrum Plural
die Nichte — niece
Plural: die Nichten. Feminine noun — the article stays "die" in both Nominativ and Akkusativ singular; only Dativ changes it to "der."
Nom Die Nichte ist die Tochter meines Bruders.
The niece is my brother's daughter.
die Nichte (feminin) = niece · die Tochter, ö = daughter · der Bruder, ü = brother. "Die" — feminin Nominativ. Nichte is the subject. Adapted from the dictionary's own example, which used the possessive "meine" instead of the article.
Akk Ich besuche die Nichte am Wochenende.
I visit the niece on the weekend.
besuchen = to visit · das Wochenende, -n = weekend. "Die" stays "die" — feminine Nominativ and Akkusativ are identical; Nichte is the direct object here.
Dat Ich kaufe der Nichte ein Geschenk.
I am buying the niece a gift.
kaufen (+ Dativ for the recipient) = to buy · das Geschenk, -e = gift. "Der" because feminin Dativ (die → der).
Nom Eine Nichte kommt heute zu Besuch.
A niece is coming to visit today.
zu Besuch kommen = to come for a visit. "Eine" — feminin Nominativ indefinite.
Akk Wir haben eine Nichte in Berlin.
We have a niece in Berlin.
haben = to have. "Eine" stays "eine" in Akkusativ — feminine indefinite Nominativ and Akkusativ look identical, the same pattern as the definite article.
Dat Wir schreiben den Nichten eine Karte.
We are writing the nieces a card.
schreiben (+ Dativ for the recipient) = to write · die Karte, -n = card. Plural Dativ: article "den"; Nichten already ends in "-n" (from its own plural), so no further ending is added.
nichts — nothing
Indeclinable — "nichts" never changes form, regardless of case.
Nichts ist wichtiger als gute Gesundheit.
There's nothing more important than good health.
nichts = nothing · wichtig = important · die Gesundheit = health. The dictionary's own example, unchanged.
Ich habe heute nichts gegessen.
I haven't eaten anything today.
essen, er isst = to eat. "Nichts" here functions as the direct object, meaning "nothing at all."
nie — never
Synonym: niemals (also "never") — the dictionary lists it right alongside "nie" and later cross-references it back with "niemals See nie," since the two are interchangeable. Idiom: fast nie / fast niemals = hardly ever, as in the example below. The bundled pronoun "niemand" (no one/nobody) gets its own entry just below.
Es regnet fast nie in der Wüste.
It almost never rains in the desert.
regnen = to rain · die Wüste, -n = desert (OCR-corrected: "Wiiste" → "Wüste"). "Fast nie" = "hardly ever/almost never." The dictionary's own example.
Nie vergesse ich diesen Tag.
I will never forget this day.
vergessen, er vergisst = to forget · der Tag, -e = day. Fronting "nie" for emphasis still keeps the verb in second position ("vergesse" follows immediately).
niemand — no one; nobody
Bundled in the dictionary's entry for "nie" (see above), with no example sentence of its own — both below are original. Formally declines like an indefinite pronoun: niemand (Nom), niemanden (Akk), niemandem (Dat) — though it's often left uninflected in casual speech.
Niemand hat die Tür geöffnet.
No one opened the door.
niemand (Nominativ) = no one · öffnen = to open · die Tür, -en = door.
Ich kenne hier niemanden.
I don't know anyone here.
kennen = to know (be familiar with). "Niemanden" — the Akkusativ form, adding "-en"; niemand is the direct object.
die Niederlande — the Netherlands
Grammatically plural, unlike most countries (Holland, Frankreich, England — no article at all): "die Niederlande" always takes the article "die" and plural verb agreement. Dativ plural adds "-n": in den Niederlanden. The related person-noun "der Niederländer" is bundled with this entry in the dictionary and gets its own entry just below.
Nom Die Niederlande liegen am Meer.
The Netherlands lie by the sea.
liegen = to lie/be situated · das Meer, -e = sea. "Die" — Nominativ plural; the verb is also plural ("liegen," not "liegt") because the country name is grammatically plural.
Akk Wir besuchen die Niederlande im Sommer.
We are visiting the Netherlands in the summer.
besuchen = to visit · der Sommer, - = summer. "Die" stays "die" — the article never distinguishes Nominativ from Akkusativ in the plural.
Dat Ich habe einen Freund in den Niederlanden.
I have a friend in the Netherlands.
der Freund, -e = friend. "Den" — Dativ plural always uses this article; Niederlande adds "-n" (Niederlande → Niederlanden). The dictionary's own example, unchanged.
der Niederländer — person from the Netherlands
Feminine: die Niederländerin, plural die Niederländerinnen. Plural of "der Niederländer": die Niederländer (unchanged). Not a weak noun — regular masculine declension, the same pattern as "der Engländer" or "der Holländer."
Nom Der Niederländer fährt gern Fahrrad.
The Dutchman likes to cycle.
Fahrrad fahren = to cycle/ride a bike. "Der" — maskulin Nominativ. Niederländer is the subject.
Akk Ich besuche den Niederländer in Amsterdam.
I am visiting the Dutchman in Amsterdam.
besuchen = to visit. "Den" because maskulin Akkusativ (der → den).
Dat Sie hilft dem Niederländer beim Umzug.
She helps the Dutchman with the move.
helfen (+ Dativ) = to help · der Umzug, ü-e = move/relocation. "Dem" because maskulin Dativ (der → dem).
Nom Ein Niederländer wohnt in unserem Haus.
A Dutchman lives in our building.
wohnen = to live/reside. "Ein" — no ending before maskulin Nominativ, same as "der."
Akk Wir treffen einen Niederländer auf der Konferenz.
We are meeting a Dutchman at the conference.
treffen = to meet · die Konferenz, -en = conference. "Einen" because maskulin Akkusativ indefinite (ein → einen).
Dat Der Reiseführer zeigt den Niederländern die Stadt.
The tour guide shows the Dutch people the city.
der Reiseführer, - = tour guide · zeigen (+ Dativ for the recipient) = to show. Plural Dativ: article "den," and Niederländer adds "-n" → Niederländern.
niedlich — cute
"Hündchen" is the diminutive of "der Hund" (dog) — like all "-chen" diminutives, it's neuter and takes an umlaut: das Hündchen = puppy.
Dieser junge Hund (Hündchen) ist so niedlich.
This puppy is so cute.
jung = young · das Hündchen, - = puppy (OCR-corrected: "Hiindchen" → "Hündchen"). The dictionary's own example, unchanged aside from the umlaut fix.
niedrig — low
Predicate adjective — takes an ending only when it comes before a noun, as in the example ("eine niedrige Mauer").
Neben der Straße ist eine niedrige Mauer.
There is a low wall next to the street.
neben (+ Dativ, no motion) = next to · die Straße, -n = street (OCR-corrected: "Strafie" → "Straße") · die Mauer, -n = wall. The dictionary's own example, unchanged aside from the OCR fix.
das Nilpferd — hippopotamus
Plural: die Nilpferde. Literally "Nile horse" (der Nil = the Nile + das Pferd = horse).
Nom Das Nilpferd ist ein großes Tier.
The hippopotamus is a large animal.
das Nilpferd (neutral) = hippopotamus · groß = large (OCR-corrected: "groBes" → "großes") · das Tier, -e = animal. "Das" — neutral Nominativ. The dictionary's own example, unchanged aside from the OCR fix.
Akk Wir beobachten das Nilpferd im Zoo.
We observe the hippopotamus at the zoo.
beobachten = to observe · der Zoo, -s = zoo. Neutral Akkusativ keeps the same form as Nominativ (das → das).
Dat Der Pfleger gibt dem Nilpferd frisches Gras.
The keeper gives the hippopotamus fresh grass.
der Pfleger, - = keeper/caretaker · geben (+ Dativ for the recipient) = to give · frisch = fresh. "Dem" because neutral Dativ (das → dem).
Nom Ein Nilpferd schwimmt im Fluss.
A hippopotamus swims in the river.
schwimmen = to swim · der Fluss, ü-e = river. "Ein" — no ending before neutral Nominativ, same as "das."
Akk Wir sehen ein Nilpferd am Flussufer.
We see a hippopotamus on the riverbank.
sehen = to see · das Flussufer, - = riverbank. Neutral Akkusativ indefinite looks identical to Nominativ — "ein" never changes for neuter nouns between these two cases.
Dat Die Touristen folgen den Nilpferden zum Wasser.
The tourists follow the hippopotamuses to the water.
der Tourist, -en = tourist · folgen (+ Dativ) = to follow. Plural Dativ: article "den," and Nilpferde adds "-n" → Nilpferden.
noch — still
Fixed combination: noch nicht = "not yet" (as in the second example) — a common pairing worth learning as a unit, not word-for-word.
Er erinnerte sich nach vielen Jahren noch an meinen Namen.
He still remembered my name after many years.
sich erinnern an (+ Akkusativ) = to remember · der Name, -n = name. The dictionary's own example, unchanged.
Sind sie noch nicht hier?
Aren't they here yet?
noch nicht = "not yet" — the two words function together as a fixed pair. The dictionary's own example, unchanged.
noch ein; -e; -es — another
Attributive before a noun: "noch ein" (masc./neut.) and "noch eine" (fem.) — the endings simply mirror "ein/eine." "Noch eins"/"noch eines" is the standalone pronoun form used when no noun follows (e.g. "Ich möchte noch eins" = "I'd like one more"). Idiom bundled here: noch einmal = once more.
Ich brauche noch eine Stunde, um die Arbeit zu beenden.
I need another hour to finish the work.
brauchen = to need · die Stunde, -n = hour · beenden = to finish. "Noch eine" — feminine, matching "die Stunde." The dictionary's own example (OCR-corrected: the English translation's stray "/" → "I").
Nimm doch noch ein Stück Kuchen.
Go ahead, take another piece of cake.
das Stück, -e = piece · der Kuchen, - = cake. "Noch ein" — unmarked, matching neuter "das Stück," the same pattern as the bare article "ein."
nördlich — north; northern
Fixed combination: nördlich von = "north of."
Belgien liegt nördlich von Frankreich.
Belgium is to the north of France.
liegen = to lie/be situated · nördlich von = north of (OCR-corrected: "nordlich" → "nördlich"). The dictionary's own example, unchanged aside from the umlaut fix.
Norwegen — Norway
Neuter country name, used without an article (no "das Norwegen"), like most countries. Two related words are bundled with this headword in the dictionary and get their own entries just below: der Norweger (die Norwegerin) and norwegisch.
Nom Norwegen hat viele Fjorde.
Norway has many fjords.
der Fjord, -e = fjord. No article — Norwegen is the subject directly.
Akk Wir besuchen Norwegen im Winter.
We are visiting Norway in the winter.
besuchen = to visit · der Winter, - = winter. No article/ending change — country names without an article stay the same in every case.
Dat Wir gehen in Norwegen Ski laufen.
We are going skiing in Norway.
in (+ Dativ) = in · Ski laufen = to ski. No article/ending change for the country name itself. The dictionary's own example, unchanged.
der Norweger — Norwegian (person)
Feminine: die Norwegerin, plural die Norwegerinnen. Plural of "der Norweger": die Norweger (unchanged). Not a weak noun — regular masculine declension.
Nom Der Norweger liebt die Berge.
The Norwegian loves the mountains.
lieben = to love · der Berg, -e = mountain. "Der" — maskulin Nominativ. Norweger is the subject.
Akk Ich kenne den Norweger aus meinem Sprachkurs.
I know the Norwegian from my language course.
kennen = to know · der Sprachkurs, -e = language course. "Den" because maskulin Akkusativ (der → den).
Dat Sie hilft dem Norweger mit der deutschen Sprache.
She helps the Norwegian with the German language.
helfen (+ Dativ) = to help · die Sprache, -n = language. "Dem" because maskulin Dativ (der → dem).
Nom Ein Norweger arbeitet in unserem Büro.
A Norwegian works in our office.
arbeiten = to work · das Büro, -s = office. "Ein" — no ending before maskulin Nominativ, same as "der."
Akk Wir haben einen Norweger in unserer Klasse.
We have a Norwegian in our class.
die Klasse, -n = class. "Einen" because maskulin Akkusativ indefinite (ein → einen).
Dat Der Trainer gibt den Norwegern neue Anweisungen.
The coach gives the Norwegians new instructions.
der Trainer, - = coach · die Anweisung, -en = instruction. Plural Dativ: article "den," and Norweger adds "-n" → Norwegern.
norwegisch — Norwegian
Lowercase, unlike the nouns Norweger/Norwegen — compare: Amerika/amerikanisch, Deutschland/deutsch.
Der norwegische Winter ist sehr kalt und dunkel.
The Norwegian winter is very cold and dark.
der Winter, - = winter · kalt = cold · dunkel = dark. "Norwegische" takes the weak adjective ending "-e" after "der."
das Notizbuch — notebook
Plural: die Notizbücher. Built from die Notiz (note) + das Buch (book). Distinct from "der Notizblock" (notepad), bundled with this entry in the dictionary and given its own entry just below — the dictionary's single example sentence actually describes "Notizbuch," not "Notizblock," so it's reused here.
Nom Das Notizbuch liegt auf dem Tisch.
The notebook is lying on the table.
liegen = to lie/be lying · der Tisch, -e = table. "Das" — neutral Nominativ. Notizbuch is the subject.
Akk Ich habe für jede Klasse das Notizbuch.
I have the notebook for each class.
haben = to have · für (+ Akkusativ, with the umlaut restored — an OCR-stripped word in the source) = for · jede Klasse = every class. Neutral Akkusativ keeps the same form as Nominativ (das → das). Adapted from the dictionary's own example, which used the indefinite article "ein" instead.
Dat Im Notizbuch stehen alle wichtigen Termine.
All the important appointments are in the notebook.
im = in dem (contraction) · der Termin, -e = appointment. "Im" absorbs "dem" — neutral Dativ (das → dem) after "in."
Nom Ein Notizbuch passt gut in die Tasche.
A notebook fits well in the bag.
passen = to fit · die Tasche, -n = bag. "Ein" — no ending before neutral Nominativ, same as "das."
Akk Ich kaufe ein Notizbuch für die Schule.
I am buying a notebook for school.
kaufen = to buy · die Schule, -n = school. Neutral Akkusativ indefinite looks identical to Nominativ — "ein" never changes for neuter nouns between these two cases.
Dat Die Namen stehen auf den Notizbüchern.
The names are written on the notebooks.
stehen = to stand/be written · der Name, -n = name. Plural Dativ: article "den," and Notizbücher adds "-n" → Notizbüchern.
der Notizblock — notepad
Plural: die Notizblöcke. Built from die Notiz (note) + der Block (block/pad) — a "Notizblock" is a pad of loose or tear-off pages, distinct from "das Notizbuch" (a bound notebook). No example sentence in the dictionary for this one, so all six below are original.
Nom Der Notizblock liegt neben dem Telefon.
The notepad is lying next to the phone.
liegen = to lie/be lying · das Telefon, -e = telephone. "Der" — maskulin Nominativ. Notizblock is the subject.
Akk Er nimmt den Notizblock mit ins Meeting.
He takes the notepad to the meeting.
mitnehmen (separable) = to take along · ins = in das (contraction). "Den" because maskulin Akkusativ (der → den).
Dat Im Notizblock stehen viele Ideen.
There are many ideas in the notepad.
im = in dem (contraction) · die Idee, -n = idea. "Im" absorbs "dem" — maskulin Dativ (der → dem) after "in."
Nom Ein Notizblock liegt auf jedem Schreibtisch.
A notepad lies on every desk.
der Schreibtisch, -e = desk. "Ein" — no ending before maskulin Nominativ, same as "der."
Akk Ich brauche einen Notizblock für die Besprechung.
I need a notepad for the meeting.
brauchen = to need · die Besprechung, -en = meeting/discussion. "Einen" because maskulin Akkusativ indefinite (ein → einen).
Dat Wir sammeln alte Notizen aus den Notizblöcken.
We collect old notes from the notepads.
sammeln = to collect · aus (+ Dativ) = from/out of. Plural Dativ: article "den," and Notizblöcke adds "-n" → Notizblöcken.
notwendig — necessary
Predicate adjective, most often used with "sein" + "um...zu" (in order to), as in the example. Related in meaning: nützlich (useful), see Part 9; and its opposite nutzlos (useless), see Part 9.
Kalzium ist notwendig, um starke Knochen zu bekommen.
Calcium is necessary for strong bones.
das Kalzium = calcium · stark = strong · der Knochen, - = bone · bekommen = to get/receive. The dictionary's own example, unchanged.
der November — November
Singular only — a specific month name, no natural plural. Month names can appear with or without the definite article: "November ist kalt" = "Der November ist kalt" (both correct).
Nom Der November ist der Monat vor Weihnachten.
November is the month before Christmas.
der Monat, -e = month · Weihnachten = Christmas. "Der" — maskulin Nominativ. November is the subject. The dictionary's own example, unchanged.
Akk Ich mag den November nicht besonders.
I don't particularly like November.
mögen = to like · besonders = particularly. "Den" because maskulin Akkusativ (der → den).
Dat Vor dem November war das Wetter noch warm.
Before November, the weather was still warm.
vor (+ Dativ, temporal) = before · das Wetter = weather. "Dem" because maskulin Dativ (der → dem).
Nom Ein regnerischer November beginnt.
A rainy November begins.
regnerisch = rainy · beginnen = to begin. "Ein" — no ending before maskulin Nominativ, same as "der."
Akk Wir erwarten einen nassen November.
We expect a wet November.
erwarten = to expect · nass = wet. "Einen" because maskulin Akkusativ indefinite (ein → einen).
die Nudeln — noodles
Almost always used in the plural, like "die Ferien" (vacation) — a single noodle is "die Nudel," but the everyday word for the food is the plural.
Nom Die Nudeln schmecken heute besonders gut.
The noodles taste especially good today.
schmecken = to taste. "Die" — Nominativ plural, the article used for every gender in the plural.
Akk Lass uns Butter auf die Nudeln tun.
Let's put butter on the noodles.
lassen = to let (OCR-corrected: "LaB" → "Lass") · die Butter = butter · auf (+ Akkusativ, motion onto) = onto. "Die" stays "die" in Akkusativ plural. The dictionary's own example, corrected.
Dat Wir servieren das Gericht mit den Nudeln.
We serve the dish with the noodles.
servieren = to serve · das Gericht, -e = dish. "Den" — Dativ plural always uses this article; Nudeln already ends in "-n," so no further ending is added.
null — zero
Indeclinable, like all cardinal numbers.
Zwei minus zwei ist null.
Two minus two is zero.
minus = minus. The dictionary's own example, unchanged.
Die Temperatur liegt heute bei null Grad.
The temperature is at zero degrees today.
die Temperatur, -en = temperature · der Grad, -e = degree. "Bei null Grad" = "at zero degrees" (a fixed way to state temperature).
die Nummer — number
Plural: die Nummern. Combines into compounds like "die Telefonnummer" (phone number), as in the dictionary's own example.
Nom Die Nummer steht auf der Tür.
The number is on the door.
die Nummer (feminin) = number · stehen = to stand/be written · die Tür, -en = door. "Die" — feminin Nominativ. Nummer is the subject.
Akk Geben Sie mir bitte die Telefonnummer.
Please give me the phone number.
geben = to give · das Telefon, -e = telephone. "Die" stays "die" — feminine Nominativ and Akkusativ are identical. Adapted from the dictionary's own example, which used the possessive "Ihre" instead of the article.
Dat Neben der Nummer steht der Name.
Next to the number is the name.
neben (+ Dativ, no motion) = next to · der Name, -n = name. "Der" because feminin Dativ (die → der).
Nom Eine Nummer fehlt auf der Liste.
A number is missing from the list.
fehlen = to be missing · die Liste, -n = list. "Eine" — feminin Nominativ indefinite.
Akk Ich wähle eine falsche Nummer.
I am dialing a wrong number.
wählen = to dial/choose · falsch = wrong. "Eine" stays "eine" in Akkusativ — feminine indefinite Nominativ and Akkusativ look identical.
Dat Der Lehrer vergleicht die Ergebnisse mit den Nummern.
The teacher compares the results with the numbers.
vergleichen = to compare · das Ergebnis, -se = result. Plural Dativ: article "den"; Nummern already ends in "-n" (from its own plural), so no further ending is added.
nur — only
Placed directly before the word or phrase it limits.
Ich spreche nur Englisch.
I can only speak English.
sprechen = to speak. The dictionary's own example, unchanged.