German School Subjects Vocabulary
This set covers the subjects on a German school timetable: die Mathematik, die Chemie, die Biologie and others through to more specific ones like die Sozialkunde and das Werken. One thing that trips up English speakers is that language subjects take das: it's das Deutsch, das Englisch, das Französisch, not die, even though most other subject nouns here are die.
Learn these 13 words
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All 13 words
German (subject)
Wir haben heute drei Stunden Deutsch. — We have three hours of German today.
English (subject)
Sie lernt seit fünf Jahren Englisch. — She has been learning English for five years.
French (subject)
Ich lerne Französisch als zweite Fremdsprache. — I am learning French as a second foreign language.
mathematics
Mathematik ist mein Lieblingsfach in der Schule. — Mathematics is my favorite subject at school.
chemistry
Chemie finde ich sehr schwierig. — I find chemistry very difficult.
geography
Erdkunde macht mir großen Spaß. — Geography is a lot of fun for me.
physics
In Physik lernen wir über Energie. — In physics we learn about energy.
woodwork/crafts
Im Werken bauen die Schüler kleine Holzboote. — In woodwork class the students build small wooden boats.
biology
Meine Freundin studiert Biologie. — My friend is studying biology.
computer science
Informatik ist ein neues Fach an unserer Schule. — Computer science is a new subject at our school.
Latin
Latein ist eine alte Sprache. — Latin is an ancient language.
plural: die Lehrpläne
curriculum/syllabus
Der Lehrplan bestimmt, welche Themen unterrichtet werden. — The curriculum determines which topics are taught.
social science
Sozialkunde ist an unserer Schule ein wichtiges Fach. — Social science is an important subject at our school.
How to learn this set
Notice that die is the default gender for subjects ending in -ik or -ie: die Mathematik, die Physik, die Chemie, die Biologie, die Informatik. That pattern covers five of the thirteen words here, so if you learn it once, you can guess the gender for any new subject you meet later, like die Musik or die Logik. The three language subjects (das Deutsch, das Englisch, das Französisch) break that pattern and are worth drilling as their own small group. Der Lehrplan is the odd one out grammatically and thematically, so learn it separately as "the curriculum that lists all these subjects."
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Frequently asked questions
Is it der, die or das Mathematik?
It's die Mathematik, and Germans almost always shorten it to die Mathe in speech. The full form shows up on timetables and in writing, but nobody says "Ich habe jetzt Mathematik" out loud.
Why do school subjects in German use das for languages?
Deutsch, Englisch and Französisch as subjects are neuter (das) because they're treated as nominalized adjectives, similar to das Gute. This is different from naming the language itself in a sentence like "Sie spricht gut Französisch," where no article is used at all.
What's the difference between Erdkunde and Geografie?
Both mean geography and refer to the same school subject, but Erdkunde is the more traditional term used in German schools, while Geografie is the more international-sounding alternative. You'll see Erdkunde on older timetables and in everyday speech.
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