Neuter nouns

Is the German word for a car masculine feminine or neuter? Some people refer to their car as a she, but you might guess with this title that it is neuter. It is neuter if you call the car das Auto, but it could also be a masculine der Wagen. I am afraid that you just have to learn every word, but what better way to learn a word than to keep up with a blog?

There are some very general rules for neuter words. Most countries are neuter. Das moderne England, or das historische Deutschland. However without an adjective you just say England oder Deutschland.

There are always exceptions. Three examples are die Schweiz, der Iran and der Irak. See if you can find any others, but the best way to learn is to use the names of countries where you have relatives or where you have been on holiday. Put them in a sentence that is relevant to you and you should be able to use it in the future.

Bis bald