Weak Masculine Nouns (N-Declension)
பலவீன ஆண்பால் பெயர்ச்சொற்கள்
A small group of masculine nouns — mostly people and animals — add -n or -en in every case except the nominative singular, a quirk with no Tamil parallel, since Tamil nouns never change shape by case, only by suffix addition.
Grammar Comparison
இலக்கண ஒப்பீடு
The noun itself changes, not just the article
der Junge (subject) → den/dem/des Jungen (every other case)
சிறுவன் (எல்லா வேற்றுமைகளிலும் அடிச்சொல் மாறாது, விகுதி மட்டும் சேரும்)
In every other German noun you've learned, the noun's own spelling stays fixed and only the article shifts (der Mann → den Mann). This small class of masculine nouns — mostly referring to people or animals (der Junge 'boy', der Student 'student', der Löwe 'lion') — breaks that rule and adds -n or -en to the noun itself in every case except the nominative singular. Tamil nouns never change their base form this way; suffixes always attach cleanly onto an unchanging stem. Treat this as a short, memorizable list of exceptions rather than a rule to generalize.
Vocabulary
சொற்கள்
| German | Pronunciation | Tamil | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| der Junge → den/dem/des Jungen | dair YOONG-eh | சிறுவன்siṟuvan | boy |
| der Student → den/dem/des Studenten | dair shtoo-DENT | மாணவன்māṇavan | student |
| der Name → den/dem/des Namens | dair NAH-meh | பெயர்peyar | name |
| der Löwe → den/dem/des Löwen | dair LER-veh | சிங்கம்singam | lion |