neutrumsgformen

Neutrumsgformen is a term used in linguistics to describe the inflectional forms that correspond to the neuter grammatical gender in languages that mark gender on nouns. These forms appear on nouns, determiners, adjectives, pronouns, and, in some languages, verbs that agree with the noun. Neuter forms are part of broader agreement systems that include masculine and feminine forms, and they help indicate number (singular or plural) and case (such as nominative, accusative, genitive, and dative).

Across languages, neuter forms often share characteristic endings and patterns. In inflected languages with strong case systems, neuter nouns and modifiers show distinct singular forms for each case, while in some languages the nominative and accusative are identical for neuter singular. The use of neuter forms is not tied to natural gender; rather, it reflects grammatical classification assigned to nouns. English uses the neuter pronoun it, but most nouns are not explicitly inflected for gender.

German provides a clear illustration. The neuter definite article is das (nominative and accusative singular). Nouns include das Buch, das Kind, das Haus. With an indefinite article, as in ein gutes Buch, the adjective receives the strong ending -es; after a definite article, as in das schöne Buch, the adjective takes the weak ending -e. Genitive singular forms typically end in des Buches or des Kindes, and the dative is dem Buch. Plural nouns use die Bücher, die Häuser, and adjectives before plural nouns with definite articles take the ending -en (die großen Häuser).

Other languages show neuter forms differently. In Latin, neuter nouns in singular and plural often have nominative and accusative forms identical (bellum, bella). In Russian, neuter nouns end in -о or -е in the singular, and neuter adjectives align with those forms. English relies on it and its, rather than gender-inflected noun forms.

Neutrumsgformen thus encompass the full set of inflectional variants associated with the neuter gender, including noun declensions, article and determiner agreements, adjective endings, and neuter-pronoun usage, varying by language and historical period.