Posted by It is true that nouns are names of people, animals, places, things and ideas. These nouns can be big or small, countable or uncountable, measurable or immeasurable etc. What I find very interesting is the phenomenon of using one noun to measure another. Why and how this is done in German, you’ll find out in this post.
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| 1. Why are nouns measured? 2. How to measure nouns in German? |
According to the Oxford dictionary, measurement is the act or the process of finding the size, quantity or degree of something. There are various ways to carry out this act in German as well as in English depending on what factor of measurement you intend to use- whether it is a measuring adverb or noun.
Why Are Nouns Measured?
Due to the fact that some nouns are uncountable or immeasurable, there is need to find other ways to measure them. This is usually done by using a bigger or countable noun as its unit of measure. They can be in singular as well as in plural forms as listed below…
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| ein Becher (big) (a cup) | zwei Becher (two cups) | ein Liter (a liter) | zwei Liter (two liters) |
| eine Dose (a tin) | zwei Dosen (two tins) | ein Löffel (a spoon) | zwei Löffel (two spoons) |
| eine Flasche (a bottle) | zwei Flaschen (two bottles) | eine Packung (a packet) | zwei Packungen (two packets) |
| ein Glas (a glass) | zwei Gläser (two glasses) | eine Scheibe (a slice) | zwei Scheiben (two slices) |
| ein Kasten (a box) | zwei Kasten (two boxes) | ein Stück (a piece) | zwei Stücke (two pieces) |
| ein Kilo (a kilo) | zwei Kilos (kilos) | eine Tasse (small) (a cup) | zwei Tassen (two cups) |
| eine Kiste (a crate) | zwei Kisten (two crates) | ein Teller (a plate) | zwei Teller (two plates) |
#Note that the singular forms of these measurement nouns can be of any grammatical case (Nominativ, Akkusativ, Dativ and Genitiv), article (depending on the influencing factors) and can equally take an adjective. See the examples below.
How to Measure Nouns in German?
In German, this is done by placing both nouns next to each other just like in the Genitiv case with the uncountable noun placed in front of the countable noun. Measurement nouns in English usually goes with the preposition “of” just like in the examples below.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| 1. Eine Flasche Wein ist gebrochen worden. | A bottle of wine has been broken |
| 2. Wir haben drei Stücke Kuchen gegessen. | We have eaten three pieces of cake |
| 3. Wer hat diesen Teller Reis bestellt? | Who ordered this plate of rice? |
| 4. Ich hätte gern die Scheibe Käse. | I would like to have the slice of cheese |
| 5. Bitte gib Hans ein Glas Bier. | Please give Hans a glass of beer |
| 6. Ich möchte gerne ein kleines Stück Kuchen. | I would like (prefer) a little piece of cake |
| 7. Darf sie zwei Packungen Zigarette haben? | May she have two packets of cigarettes? |
Hi, I’m Jack. Your blog is a treasure trove of valuable insights, and I’ve made it a point to visit daily. Kudos on creating such an amazing resource!