Nuts & Bolts of German: Compound nouns: Don't be afraid of the long noun

eine Armbanduhr

Compound nouns are nouns that consist of two or more individual words. These compound nouns can easily be taken apart, and the individual components often tell you what the word means.

Let's look at the example:

die Armbanduhr = der Arm + das Band + die Uhr

In the previous activity you learned that it is the last noun that carries the basic meaning of the word. So start from the back:

An "Uhr" is a clock on a "Band" (ribbon, tape, band) around your "Arm" (arm) -> Armbanduhr = wrist watch

And since "Uhr" is feminine, "Armbanduhr" is feminine because it's always the last noun in a compound noun that determines the gender.

Now it's your turn. Take the following word apart, and write its three components into the gaps provided. Don't forget to pay attention to the correct gender of the three nouns.

Then press [Check] to see if you got it right. Click on [Hint] to get a free letter if you need help:

der Lederhandschuh: das + die + der

Now start from the back. Have you figured out what the word means? Click to find out whether you got it right.

Note: Sometimes there will be an additional letter between the individual components to help with the pronunciation of sounds that are difficult to say together. You do something similar in English when you say "an" instead of "a" as in "an apple". More of that in A1 Higher.

Umlaute & Eszett:

Wörterbuch (LEO)

Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS)

Wörterbuch (Linguee)

Wörterbuch (dict.cc)

Wörterbuch (PONS)

Terminologie A - Z

Tip: If you don't belong to the lucky few who possess a photographic memory, write down what you learnt while doing this exercise.