• braxy29@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    i don’t recall there being any rhyme or reason to gender in german, but it’s been many years since i studied. i do remember that the gender of any word like ____-machine would be whatever the gender is for machine.

    • Tvkan@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      The only actual rule I’m aware of is diminutives (i.e. words ending in -chen or -lein) always being neuter (das). This is also the reason why it’s das Mädchen (girl) and das Fräulein.

      The rest is arbitrary, and sometimes there’s even regional variations.

      • Username@feddit.de
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        1 year ago

        Also a neverending discussion around some “newer” words or brands such as Ketchup, Nutella, etc.