N-declension: der Kranke -> dem Kranken

N-Deklination: der Kranke -> dem Kranken


Die N-Deklination betrifft maskuline Substantive wie „der Kranke", „der Kollege", und „der Kunde" im Singular, die im Dativ und Akkusativ ein -n hinzufügen.

(The n-declension affects masculine nouns such as „der Kranke", „der Kollege", and „der Kunde" in the singular, which add an -n in the dative and accusative.)

What “N‑Deklination” is (and why it matters)

Some masculine nouns add -n / -en in all cases except nominative.

This is called N‑Deklination (also: “weak declension”).

  • Nominative (subject): no extra ending
  • Accusative / Dative / Genitive: add -n or -en

The one rule to remember (quick decision)

  1. Is the noun masculine (der …)?
  2. Is it an N‑declension noun (e.g., der Patient, der Kollege, der Kranke, der Versicherte)?
  3. Is it not nominative (so: Akk./Dat./Gen.)?

If the answer is “yes” → add -n / -en to the noun.

Forms at a glance (your examples)

Base form (Nom.) Accusative Dative
der Kranke den Kranken dem Kranken
der Patient den Patienten dem Patienten
der Versicherte den Versicherten dem Versicherten
der Kollege den Kollegen dem Kollegen

How to choose: -n or -en?

  • Often -en: nouns like der Patient → den/dem Patienten
  • Often -n: adjectives used as nouns like der Kranke → den/dem Kranken

Practical tip: If you are unsure, -en is the more common pattern with job/role nouns (Patient, Kollege, Student, Kunde).

Typical traps (what to pay attention to)

  • Trap 1: forgetting the ending

    ✅ dem Patienten / den Patienten

    dem Patient / den Patient

  • Trap 2: changing the article but not the noun

    In German, with these nouns you usually change both: article + noun ending.

    ✅ den Versicherten

    den Versicherte

  • Trap 3: applying it to feminine/neuter nouns

    N‑declension is (almost always) only masculine.

    Example: die Patientin / das Kind → no N‑declension pattern.

Mini self-check: nominative or not?

  • Nominative (no -n/-en): Who/what does the action?
    Der Patient wartet.
  • Accusative (add -n/-en): Who/what is directly affected?
    Der Arzt ruft den Patienten an.
  • Dative (add -n/-en): To/for whom? often after verbs like helfen, geben, erklären
    Die Ärztin erklärt dem Patienten die Therapie.

What you should be able to do now

  • Recognize common N‑declension nouns (Patient, Kollege, Kunde, Versicherte, Kranke …).
  • In Akkusativ and Dativ, automatically add -n / -en to the noun.
  • Quickly check: If it’s not nominative → the noun needs the extra ending.
  1. The n-declension occurs with nouns that end in -n or -en in the plural, in all cases except the nominative.
Form der N-DeklinationKasusBeispiel
der Kranke" (the sick person)„dem Kranken"  (to the sick person)Dativ (dative)Dem Kranken muss der Arzt regelmäßig Medikamente geben. (The doctor must regularly give the sick person medication.)
„der Patient" (the patient)„dem Patienten" (to the patient)Dativ (dative)Die Klinik zeigt dem Patienten verschiedene Fitnessprogramme. (The clinic shows the patient various fitness programs.)
der Versichte" (the insured person)„den Versicherten" (the insured person)Akkusativ (accusative)Die Krankenversicherung lässt den Versicherten die Wahl, ob sie sich gesetzlich oder privat versichern. (Health insurance gives the insured person the choice of whether they take out statutory or private insurance.)

Exceptions!

  1. The n-declension applies only to masculine nouns.

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. In der Sprechstunde erklärt die Ärztin ___, wie er die Medikamente einnehmen soll.

In the consultation hour, the doctor explains ___ how he should take the medication.

2. In der Klinik gibt die Krankenschwester ___ seine Krankenversicherungskarte zurück.

In the clinic, the nurse gives ___ his health insurance card back.

3. Der Hausarzt ruft ___ am Nachmittag an und erklärt die nächsten Schritte.

The family doctor calls ___ in the afternoon and explains the next steps.

4. Bei der Krankenkasse hilft die Mitarbeiterin ___ beim Ausfüllen des Formulars.

At the health insurance company, the employee helps ___ fill out the form.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences using the correct form of the N-declension in the dative or accusative (masculine singular: -n / -en), e.g. "dem Kollegen".

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. Ich helfe der Kollege im Büro bei einem Projekt.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Ich helfe dem Kollegen im Büro bei einem Projekt.
    (I help the colleague in the office with a project.)
  2. Die Ärztin erklärt dem Patient die Therapie.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Die Ärztin erklärt dem Patienten die Therapie.
    (The doctor explains the therapy to the patient.)
  3. Wir besuchen heute der Kunde in seiner Firma.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Wir besuchen heute den Kunden in seiner Firma.
    (We are visiting the customer at his company today.)
  4. Der Pfleger spricht mit dem Kranke über die Medikamente.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Der Pfleger spricht mit dem Kranken über die Medikamente.
    (The nurse talks to the sick person about the medications.)

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct form in the dative or accusative (n-declension).

1.
Incorrect: With “der Kranke”, the -n must be added in the dative: dem Kranken (not dem Kranke).
2.
Incorrect: In the accusative, “der Patient” requires the n-declension: den Patienten (not den Patient).

Written by

This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

Profile Picture

Flavio Redecker

Master in french linguistics and history

Osnabrück University


Last Updated:

Friday, 08/05/2026 14:31