Diminutives

The most common diminutive ending is -chen, which keeps the noun neuter and works with almost any noun. The original gender disappears and the form feels cute and small.

Another diminutive ending is -lein, which also makes the noun neuter and is slightly more old-fashioned or literary. It behaves like -chen in keeping the noun small and gender-neutral.

Diminutives with -chen or -lein always turn the noun neuter, so the article changes to das even if the original noun was masculine or feminine. This affects adjectives and pronouns too.

Some regions use different diminutive endings like -l, -el, or -li, especially in dialects from southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. These endings often keep the original gender or change it differently.

Diminutives usually signal a small size or affection, but they can also soften meaning or add irony depending on context. They appear in everyday speech, literature, and advertising to create tone.

To form a diminutive, you add the ending to the noun's stem and adjust spelling if needed; for example, nouns ending in -e sometimes drop the -e or change slightly to sound better. Practice with common nouns helps.

Diminutives use endings like -chen and -lein to make nouns small and neuter, with regional endings adding variety. They change meaning and gender, so pay attention to form and article in each case.