Alman: A Simplified Dialect of the German Language

Version: 0.4.2

Last Updated: 2026-07-08

Introduction

The noun gender system of the German language, colloquially referred to as “der/die/das,” is notoriously difficult for those who learn German as an additional language (L2). We advocate that correct usage of noun genders is not crucial for most L2 learners in order to function in the German society. To this end, we construct a dialect, called Alman, that unifies the masculine, feminine, and neuter genders into a single category and eliminates gender- and case-specific inflections. The resulting gender loss is akin to that experienced by English during the Middle English period. We present a formal description of Alman grammar.

The idea of Alman came out of the recognition that language complexity—especially in morphological systems like noun gender—can slow down language learning and hinder a foreigner’s integration into the society. We claim that higher grammatical complexity comes with real-world costs, including delayed workforce integration and diminished productivity for migrants. By removing the necessity to memorize or deploy multiple gender markers, Alman seeks to mitigate these challenges without compromising the fundamental structure of German syntax and vocabulary.

Beyond its practical benefits for newcomers, Alman remains mutually intelligible with Standard German. The dialect is designed to preserve essential word order (verb-second in main clauses and verb-final in subordinate clauses), retain well-known verb conjugations, and maintain overall lexical clarity. Rather than overhauling the entire grammar, it strategically reduces complexity where it matters most—namely in article usage, noun inflection, and adjective endings—allowing L2 learners to communicate more confidently at an earlier stage.

This specification provides a formal account of Alman grammar, detailing the rules for article simplification, noun morphology, adjectival endings, and other core linguistic elements. By illustrating these changes with numerous examples, we aim to offer both instructors and learners a clear roadmap for adopting this dialect. The goal is not to replace Standard German but to introduce an accessible version that addresses pain points for adult learners, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and efficient language learning.

Table of Contents

Articles

This section outlines the simplification of Standard German articles in Alman, eliminating grammatical gender and case distinctions. Definite articles use die for all non-genitive contexts and der for genitive, with das retained as a neutral demonstrative and serving as the invariant relativizer (see the section on pronouns). Possession may alternatively use von die instead of genitive constructions. Indefinite articles adopt ein universally in non-genitive cases, while genitive employs von ein or retains ein with prepositions. Preposition-article contractions are resolved to full forms without exception (e.g., vom → von die), and nominalized articles preserve ein as standalone forms. The case distinction after two-way prepositions is abolished for noun phrases.

§1. Definite Article Simplification

The Alman dialect systematically replaces the six case-inflected definite article forms of Standard German through morphological regularization, employing invariant forms for non-genitive and genitive cases while eliminating case-specific noun endings. All surface realizations of definite articles in non-genitive contexts (regardless of grammatical gender, number, or case) are replaced by die. Genitive contexts employ der by default, accompanied by elimination of genitive noun inflections.

§1a. Invariant ‘die’ for Non-Genitive Cases

All nominative, accusative, and dative definite articles (der/die/das/den/dem) are replaced by the invariant form ‘die’, neutralizing gender and case distinctions.

Examples:

§1b. Invariant ‘der’ for Genitive Case

All genitive definite articles (des/der) are replaced by ‘der’, accompanied by elimination of genitive noun inflections.

After genitive prepositions such as wegen, trotz, statt, während, and innerhalb, the genitive article der is preferred, but the invariant non-genitive die is also acceptable, mirroring colloquial usage. This parallels the treatment of indefinite articles after genitive prepositions.

The genitive der is the single case-marked article form that Alman retains. This is a deliberate exception to the otherwise complete elimination of case-specific inflection: it keeps adnominal genitive constructions (die Haus der Mann) recognizable and mutually intelligible with Standard German. Indefinite articles, possessive determiners, and kein instead eliminate genitive marking entirely through periphrasis, as described in their respective rules.

The retained der occupies the same postnominal position as the Standard German genitive: the possessor follows its head noun (die Haus der Mann). Archaic or poetic prenominal genitives with an article (des Sultans Stadt, des Pindus Wellen) do not survive in prenominal position; they are reordered into the postnominal construction (die Stadt der Sultan) or rendered with von die. Without case endings, a prenominal der Sultan Stadt would no longer be readable as a genitive. Only the proper-name genitive -s (Annas Buch; see the section on nouns) remains prenominal, mirroring the English possessive ‘s.

Examples:

§1c. Exception: Demonstrative Pronouns

The demonstrative pronoun ‘das’ retains its form in nominative, accusative, and dative contexts when functioning as a neutral demonstrative (‘that’). In genitive constructions, the form ‘dessen’ is replaced by ‘deren’ while maintaining the invariant article system.

This exception is strictly positional: it applies only when ‘das’ stands alone, without a following noun. Directly before a noun, the article rules always apply and every definite article form becomes die, regardless of stress or demonstrative intent. Demonstrative force before a noun is expressed with diese or jene (see the section on determiners), mirroring English this/that + noun. Likewise, the Standard German demonstrative pronouns ‘der’, ‘den’, and ‘dem’ used standalone (Der war’s!) are replaced by the neutral das (Das war’s!), with the article-aligned die as an accepted variant, consistent with the treatment of relative pronouns.

Examples:

§1d. Optional Use of ‘von die’ for Possession

The prepositional construction ‘von die’ may substitute the genitive article ‘der’ to indicate possession, though ‘der’ remains preferable in most contexts. This periphrastic construction serves to:

1. Resolve ambiguity in complex phrases
2. Provide phonological variety
3. Mirror colloquial speech patterns

While interchangeable, ‘der’ should be retained when translating original genitive constructions (‘des/der’) unless contextual factors favor ‘von die’.

An apposition agrees in construction with its head noun phrase. When a genitive is rendered periphrastically with von, an apposition to it likewise takes the non-genitive form; when the genitive der is used, the apposition remains in the genitive. The same holds for appositions following a retained proper-name genitive (see the section on nouns). Note that possessive genitives (seines Vaters) have no der form and are always periphrastic (see the rule on possessive determiners in the section on determiners), so their appositions always take the non-genitive form.

A genitive relationship is always overtly marked, either by der or by von. Article-less genitives — bare plural or mass possessors such as die Erzeugung energiereicher Biomoleküle — have no article to convert to der, so they take von with the invariant form: die Erzeugung von energiereiche Biomoleküle. Bare juxtaposition (die Erzeugung energiereiche Biomoleküle) is not available: with the endings gone, nothing would signal the relationship. This mirrors English, where such phrases require of. In coordinated genitives, von may either be repeated or take scope over the whole coordination, as in English: Verfasser von einige Traktate und (von) viele Hymnen.

Examples:

§1e. Contraction Resolution

Preposition-article contractions (e.g., vom, im, zur) must be resolved to their full form prior to applying article replacement rules. The uncontracted preposition and article are then processed according to standard Alman article rules.

This rule applies uniformly, including to contractions in fixed expressions such as zum Beispiel and zum + nominalized infinitive, sparing learners from memorizing a list of exempt expressions. The single exception is the adverbial superlative construction am + superlative (e.g., am besten, am schnellsten): it is not treated as a preposition-article contraction, but is instead replaced by the bare superlative stem, as described in the section on adjectives and adverbs.

Examples:

§1f. Two-Way Prepositions

In Standard German, the two-way prepositions (in, an, auf, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen) govern the accusative to express motion toward a goal and the dative to express static location. Since Alman collapses accusative and dative articles into the invariant die, this case-based distinction is abolished for noun phrases: in die Kino covers both “into the cinema” and “in the cinema.”

Where the direction/location distinction is communicatively essential, it is expressed lexically, e.g., through directional adverbs (hinein, hinaus, hin) or locative adverbs (drinnen, drin, dort), or resolved by the semantics of the verb.

Note that personal pronouns retain case marking (see the section on pronouns), so the distinction remains available in pronominal constructions (auf ihn vs. auf ihm).

Examples:

§2. Indefinite Article Simplification

The Alman dialect regularizes indefinite article usage through morphological simplification, eliminating case and gender distinctions present in Standard German while maintaining semantic clarity through prepositional constructions.

§2a. Unified ‘ein’ for Non-Genitive Cases

The invariant form ein replaces all nominative, accusative, and dative indefinite articles (ein/eine/einen/einem), neutralizing gender and case distinctions.

This rule applies to the indefinite article only. The homographic oblique forms of the indefinite pronoun man (Das ärgert einen) are pronouns, retain their case marking, and are described in the section on pronouns.

Examples:

§2b. Genitive Case

Indefinite genitive constructions employ either:

1. Prepositional phrase von ein + Noun
2. Only ein, depending on the context, e.g. when used with a genitive prepositions such as wegen, trotz, statt, innerhalb and so on.

The periphrastic von ein construction is preferred when maintaining indefiniteness is crucial.

This systematizes existing colloquial patterns that use prepositional phrases with dative forms, while replacing them with the invariant ein.

Articleless genitives, where the case is marked only on an adjective or determiner (die Erzeugung energiereicher Biomoleküle), likewise take the periphrastic von: die Erzeugung von energiereiche Biomoleküle. Removing the case ending alone, without von, is not sufficient, as it would leave the relation between the two nouns unmarked.

Examples:

§2c. Nominalized Articles

The ein form persists in nominalized constructions where the article functions independently without a subsequent noun.

Examples:

Nouns

This section details Alman’s elimination of grammatical gender and case inflections in nouns. All nouns adopt a single invariant form across nominative, accusative, and dative cases, with genitive contexts marked by der instead of case endings. The prenominal genitive -s of proper names (Annas Buch) is exempt and retained, mirroring the English possessive ‘s. Adverbial genitives of time (eines Tages) become bare invariant noun phrases (ein Tag), mirroring English one day. Plural forms retain their standard nominative/accusative morphology in all cases, while an optional -s suffix resolves ambiguity for nouns with identical singular/plural forms. Weak noun declensions and archaic dative endings are abolished.

§3. Noun Morphology Simplification

The Alman dialect systematically eliminates grammatical gender distinctions and case-based noun inflections through morphological regularization. Nouns maintain a single invariant form across nominative, accusative, and dative cases, with genitive constructions employing a distinct analytical marker. Plural forms preserve their standard nominative/accusative morphology across all syntactic contexts.

§3a. Case Ending Elimination

All case-specific noun endings are removed, including:

• Genitive -s/-es markers on common nouns (des Mannes → der Mann); the prenominal genitive -s of proper names is exempt and retained (see the rule on the proper-name genitive)
• Dative plural -n suffixes (den Bränden → die Brände)
• Weak noun declensional patterns: the -n/-en endings that weak nouns such as Kollege, Mensch, Student, and Junge take in non-nominative singular cases are dropped, and the nominative singular serves as the invariant singular form (den Kollegen → die Kollege). The -n/-en plural of these nouns is unaffected and is retained as a plural marker (see the rule on invariant plural forms), so singular die Kollege remains distinct from plural die Kollegen.
• Archaic dative endings (dem Kinde → die Kind), including inside fixed adverbial expressions: zu Hause / nach Hause become zu Haus / nach Haus, zu Pferde becomes zu Pferd, auf Erden becomes auf Erde. Consistent with the treatment of preposition-article contractions, there is no list of exempt fixed expressions.

Examples:

§3b. Retention of the Proper-Name Genitive -s

The prenominal genitive -s of proper names is exempt from case ending elimination and is retained unchanged, mirroring the English possessive ‘s (Annas Buch “Anna’s book”). Since proper names take no article, the analytical genitive marker der cannot apply to them; the name-final -s is therefore not part of the article-and-case system that Alman eliminates, and it carries no additional learning burden for speakers familiar with the English construction.

This applies to personal names as well as place names and other proper nouns used possessively. The Standard German orthographic convention for names ending in an s-sound — a bare apostrophe in place of -s (Hans’ Fahrrad) — is likewise retained.

As with other possessive constructions, the periphrastic von construction remains available as an alternative (see the rule on the optional use of ‘von die’ for possession in the section on articles).

Examples:

§3c. Adverbial Genitives of Time

Productive adverbial genitives of time — eines Tages, eines Morgens, eines Nachts — lose their genitive marking entirely and appear as bare invariant noun phrases: ein Tag, ein Morgen, ein Nacht. This mirrors the English bare temporal noun phrase (one day, one morning), cognate for cognate: English dropped the same adverbial genitive from its productive pattern during the Middle English period. Since these genitives depend on neither a noun nor a preposition, neither the analytical genitive der nor the periphrastic von ein treatment described in the section on articles applies naturally to them; the periphrastic von ein Tag nevertheless remains acceptable, with the bare form preferred.

Lexicalized genitive adverbs such as nachts, morgens, abends, and anfangs remain unchanged, per the treatment of lexicalized adverbs in the section on adjectives and adverbs. This too parallels English, which kept its fossilized adverbial -s only in lexicalized items such as once, nowadays, and always.

Examples:

§3d. Invariant Plural Forms

Standard nominative/accusative plural forms serve as universal plural markers, remaining unchanged in dative and genitive contexts. This preserves recognizable plural morphology while eliminating case-based modifications.

Examples:

§3e. No Regularization of Plural Morphology

Alman preserves Standard German plural morphology without systematic regularization, maintaining existing plural forms in all non-conflicting contexts. The dialect only intervenes in plural formation when its grammatical simplifications create morphological ambiguity between singular and plural forms, as described in the next rule.

Examples:

§3f. Optional Plural Disambiguation

To resolve potential ambiguity in nouns with identical singular/plural forms, Alman permits optional plural marking with the suffix -s, mirroring the English plural. When clarity requires explicit plurality indication, the -s suffix is appended to the invariant form.

The -s suffix is the sole disambiguation marker. The -n suffix is not used for this purpose: since case ending elimination abolishes the Standard German dative plural -n, reusing -n as a plural marker would give the same ending two different meanings across the two languages.

This disambiguation preserves simplified morphology while accommodating lexical items where number distinction proves pragmatically essential.

Examples:

Adjectives and Adverbs

This section details Alman’s single form-based principle for adjective and adverb morphology: every declensional adjective ending of Standard German is replaced by the invariant -e, and forms without declensional endings remain unchanged. The principle applies by surface form, not syntactic function — attributive adjectives (gute Mann), nominalized adjectives (die Gute), and fixed adverbial expressions (unter anderem → unter andere) all take -e, while predicative adjectives and adverbs stay as they are. The sole exception is the adverbial superlative, which replaces the Standard German am + superlative construction with the bare superlative stem (am besten → best).

§4. Adjectival Ending Regularization

The Alman dialect governs adjective morphology through a single form-based principle: every declensional adjective ending of Standard German is replaced by the invariant -e, and forms that carry no declensional ending remain unchanged. The learner never needs to classify an adjective by its syntactic function; the surface form alone determines the outcome.

§4a. Invariant -e for All Declensional Endings

Whenever an adjective carries a declensional ending in Standard German — an ending that marks case, gender, or number — that ending is replaced by the invariant -e in Alman. This applies uniformly regardless of the adjective’s function or position: attributive adjectives before nouns, nominalized adjectives, adjectives nominalized after etwas, nichts, and alles (etwas Gutes, nichts Neues), and adjectives inside fixed adverbial expressions (unter anderem, vor kurzem, seit langem, von neuem, bei weitem, ohne weiteres) are all treated identically.

Adjectives that carry no declensional ending in Standard German — predicative adjectives and forms used adverbially — remain unchanged; no ending is added (see the section on adverbs).

Comparison suffixes (-er, -st) are word formation rather than declension and are preserved: schneller laufen remains schneller laufen. Likewise, lexicalized adverbs such as anders or meistens carry no declensional ending and remain unchanged.

The sole exception to this principle is the adverbial superlative am + superlative, which is replaced by the bare superlative stem (see the section on adverbs).

Examples:

§4b. Genitive Construction Handling

Genitive constructions retain the analytical ‘der’ article while maintaining invariant adjectival -e endings, preserving morphological regularity across all cases.

Examples:

§4c. Nominalized Adjectives

Nominalized adjectives, when functioning as nouns, receive the invariant -e ending in the singular, irrespective of their syntactic role, thereby preserving uniformity with regular adjective forms.

In the plural, nominalized adjectives behave as nouns: consistent with the preservation of noun plural morphology described in the section on nouns, they retain the -en ending as a plural marker (not a case marker). This distinguishes die Schöne (singular) from die Schönen (plural).

Examples:

§5. Adverbs

Adverbs carry no declensional endings in Standard German and therefore remain unchanged in Alman. This is a direct consequence of the form-based principle in the section on adjectives — endings become -e, ending-less forms stay as they are — rather than a separate mechanism. The one special construction is the adverbial superlative, where the case-marked construction am + superlative is replaced by the bare superlative stem.

§5a. Adverbs Stay the Same

Words functioning adverbially carry no declensional ending in Standard German and therefore remain unchanged in Alman. This follows directly from the form-based principle in the section on adjectives: only existing declensional endings are replaced by -e, and where there is no ending, nothing changes. This applies to:

• Adverbs modifying verbs
• Adjectives modifying other adjectives
• Phrasal modifiers not directly preceding a noun

Fixed adverbial expressions that do contain a declined adjective (unter anderem, vor kurzem, and similar) are not exempt: their endings become the invariant -e (unter andere, vor kurze) per the same principle.

Examples:

§5b. Bare-Stem Adverbial Superlatives

The Standard German adverbial superlative construction am + superlative (am besten, am schnellsten) is replaced by the bare superlative stem: best, schnellst, and so on. This mirrors the English adverbial superlative (“I swim best”) and removes the case-marked contraction am (an + dem) from the construction entirely, consistent with the elimination of case-marked articles elsewhere in Alman.

The variant an + bare stem (e.g., an best) is also acceptable, preserving the prepositional rhythm of the Standard German construction for speakers who prefer it. The bare stem is the preferred form.

This rule takes precedence over the contraction resolution rule in the section on articles: am in adverbial superlatives is not expanded to an die. Attributive superlatives are unaffected and follow the regular invariant -e ending rule (die beste Schwimmer).

Examples:

Pronouns and Determiners

This section outlines modifications to Standard German’s pronominal system that prioritize natural gender attribution while maintaining case distinctions for referential clarity. Personal pronouns retain Standard German case forms but reference biological/social gender rather than grammatical gender; for persons of unknown or generic gender, the plural sie functions as a singular they, mirroring English. Relative pronouns collapse to the invariant neutral das (genitive deren), mirroring the English relativizer that, with the article-aligned die as an accepted variant. Determiners, possessive determiners, the negative article kein, and other ein-compounds undergo simplification through invariant forms in non-genitive contexts, with preserved case inflection only in personal pronouns.

§6. Pronouns

This paragraph outlines the retention of Standard German personal pronoun case forms while reorienting referential assignment to natural gender, rather than grammatical gender, preserving case distinctions for referential clarity.

§6a. Personal Pronouns: Natural Gender Attribution

Personal pronouns maintain their Standard German case forms but are interpreted through natural gender assignment (mirroring English conventions):

1. er/ihn/ihm → Refers exclusively to male persons or male-identifying entities
2. sie/sie/ihr → Refers exclusively to female persons or female-identifying entities
3. es/es/ihm → Refers to inanimate objects, abstract concepts, or other non-person entities without natural gender

Persons whose gender is unknown, unspecified, or generic are referred to with the plural sie used as a singular they, as described in the rule on gender-neutral referents.

Note that when the referent is described by an occupational title, the title itself follows the uniformity rules described in the section on lexical gender simplifications, while the pronoun follows natural gender.

Examples:

§6b. Case Inflection Retention

Personal pronouns retain full case inflection to preserve referential clarity and syntactic precision, particularly for animate entities. The case system is intentionally aligned with Standard German forms, in order to preserve mutual intelligibility.

The formal address pronoun Sie (with dative Ihnen and possessive Ihr) is retained exactly as in Standard German, including its capitalization.

The indefinite pronoun man likewise retains its full Standard German paradigm, including its oblique forms einen (accusative) and einem (dative). These are pronoun forms, not articles, and are therefore not affected by the indefinite article simplification described in the section on articles.

Examples:

§6c. Gender-Neutral Referents

For entities without natural gender (objects, abstract concepts, institutions):

• es serves as the default singular pronoun
• Standard German plural pronoun forms are retained (sie for plural referents, including groups of mixed or unspecified gender)

For persons whose gender is unknown, unspecified, or generic, the third-person plural sie is used with plural verb agreement, even when the referent is singular. This mirrors the English singular they (“Someone called. They were friendly.”) and applies both to generic person-denoting expressions (der Mensch, jeder, jemand, niemand) and to specific persons of unknown gender. Accusative and dative follow the plural paradigm (sie/ihnen), and the corresponding possessive is ihr. Where the plural reading would genuinely mislead, speakers may rephrase, exactly as in English.

Examples:

§6d. Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns follow Standard German case forms (mich, dich, sich, uns, euch) while adhering to natural gender principles for third-person referents.

Examples:

§6e. Possessive Pronouns

The choice among the possessive pronouns (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, Ihr) follows natural gender attribution of the possessor. For possessors of unknown, unspecified, or generic gender, ihr is used, consistent with the singular they described in the rule on gender-neutral referents. Their endings follow the determiner rules: the invariant base form is used in all non-genitive contexts (see the section on determiners).

Examples:

§6f. Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are simplified to a single invariant relativizer: the neutral form das, used regardless of the gender, number, or case role of the referent within the relative clause. This mirrors the English relativizer that, which likewise introduces relative clauses without inflecting (the man that stands there → die Mann, das dort steht). Since das is already retained as the neutral demonstrative (see the section on articles), a single form covers both pointing and clause-linking.

The article-aligned form die is also acceptable in all non-genitive positions (die Mann, die dort steht). das is preferred because it keeps the relativizer visually and audibly distinct from the invariant article die, avoiding stacked identical forms where the two meet (die Frau, das die Kinder sieht rather than die Frau, die die Kinder sieht).

The free-relative pronoun was carries no gender or case inflection and is retained. Headless free relatives keep it unchanged (Ich weiß, was du meinst). After an indefinite or quantifying head such as alles, nichts, etwas, or a nominalized superlative, the invariant relativizer is equally available, so both the retained was and das (or die) are acceptable: alles, was ich weiß / alles, das ich weiß. This mirrors English, where everything that I know stands beside the free relative what I know.

The genitive relative pronouns dessen and deren are both replaced by deren, consistent with the treatment of genitive demonstratives in the section on articles.

Since the invariant relativizer no longer marks the case role of the relativized element, ambiguity between subject and object relative clauses is resolved by verb agreement and context; where genuine ambiguity arises, speakers may rephrase using a personal pronoun in the relative clause or a periphrastic construction.

Examples:

§6g. Retention of Standard Interrogative Pronouns

The interrogative pronouns wer, was, wen, wem, wessen are retained in their Standard German forms without modification. These pronouns function as in Standard German in all contexts.

Examples:

§6h. Prepositional Interrogative Constructions

In interrogative constructions involving prepositions, an uncontracted preposition preceding was may be used in place of the compound wo- forms: zu was, von was, mit was, über was, durch was, and similar variants. This mirrors the usage of preposition + what in English, like to what, from what, and so on.

The Standard German wo- compounds remain fully acceptable, as they carry no gender or case inflection and pose no additional learning burden. Both variants may be used interchangeably, exactly as with the pronominal da- compounds described in the following rule.

Examples:

§6i. Pronominal Adverbs (da- Compounds)

Parallel to the treatment of interrogative wo- forms, the pronominal adverbs formed with da- (damit, davon, darüber, dafür, daran, and similar variants) may be replaced by the uncontracted preposition followed by the demonstrative das (e.g., mit das, von das, über das), consistent with the retention of the neutral demonstrative described in the section on articles.

The Standard German da- compounds remain fully acceptable, as they carry no gender or case inflection and pose no additional learning burden. Both variants may be used interchangeably.

Examples:

§6j. Genitive Objects of Verbs and Adjectives

A small set of Standard German verbs and adjectives govern a genitive object: bedürfen, sich bedienen, gedenken, entbehren, archaic sich erinnern + genitive, fähig, sich bewusst. These genitive objects are not retained in Alman. The genitive object has been receding in German for centuries, so every such verb and adjective has an established modern complement, and Alman uses it:

1. Where contemporary usage allows a plain object, the object appears in the invariant form: er entbehrt ein höhere Leben, sie bediente sich ein starke Zweig.
2. Where contemporary usage prefers a prepositional complement, that preposition is used: sich erinnern an, sich freuen über, fähig zu, denken an (for gedenken).

When the object is a pronoun, the retained Standard German genitive pronoun forms remain available under the case-retention rule (ich will ihrer los sein, wo wir seiner bedürfen), as do da-compounds for inanimate referents. The genitive relative pronoun follows the relative-pronoun rule and surfaces as deren (die Steg, deren ich gedacht habe).

This mirrors the English outcome, where case-governed objects became plain objects or prepositional phrases: to make use of, to remember, to be capable of.

Examples:

§7. Determiners and Demonstratives

This paragraph describes the simplification of determiner and demonstrative forms in Alman through gender neutralization and case reduction, while maintaining clarity through context and word order.

§7a. Unified Forms for Non-Genitive Contexts

In non-genitive contexts, any determiner or pronoun that inflects for gender or case in Standard German adopts the invariant feminine “die…” form, i.e. the form ending in -e. This is a general principle covering the entire class: diese, jene, jede, welche, manche, solche, diejenige, dieselbe, and all analogous items are employed regardless of the gender or case of the referent. Determiners that already end in -e and do not inflect for gender in the relevant contexts (beide, einige, mehrere) remain unchanged.

This principle covers the der-type (strong-inflecting) determiners. Words built on ein — the negative article kein, the possessive determiners, and compounds such as irgendein — do not take the -e form; they follow the invariant base-form pattern described in the rule on possessive determiners and the negative article.

The paired quantifiers described in the rule on indefinite and negative quantifiers (alle/alles, viel/viele, wenig/wenige, nicht/nichts) are exempt and follow their own rule.

Examples:

§7b. Handling of Genitive Forms in Gendered Determiners

When a genitive construction is required, speakers of Alman may either adopt the corresponding “derjenige” form or rephrase the expression to avoid the genitive altogether by employing a periphrastic construction with von jene, von dieselbe and so on. In the latter case, the invariant non-genitive form is retained following the preposition. The genitive derjenigen and desjenigen can be substituted with either von diejenige or von jene for simplicity.

Examples:

§7c. Possessive Determiners and the Negative Article

Possessive determiners (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, Ihr), the negative article kein, and all compounds of ein (such as irgendein, so ein, was für ein) follow the same pattern as the indefinite article ein: the invariant base form is used in all non-genitive contexts, eliminating the gender- and case-specific endings of Standard German (meine/meinen/meinem/meiner, keine/keinen/keinem/keiner, irgendeine/irgendeinen/irgendeinem/irgendeiner).

Genitive constructions employ either the periphrastic von + base form, or the bare base form after genitive prepositions such as wegen, trotz, and statt, paralleling the treatment of the indefinite article.

The choice among mein, dein, sein, ihr, etc. follows natural gender attribution of the possessor, as described in the section on pronouns.

The same invariant base form is used in pronominal (standalone) use, where Standard German employs inflected forms such as meins, deiner, keins, and keiner. This parallels the retention of bare ein in nominalized constructions, as described in the section on articles: Das ist mein (“That is mine”), Kein hat es gesehen (“None saw it”).

Examples:

§7d. Exception for Certain Indefinite and Negative Quantifiers

While Alman consolidates and simplifies most determiners, some indefinite or negative quantifiers that appear as paired words in Standard German are retained in their original forms. In these cases, alle vs. alles, viel vs. viele, wenig vs. wenige, and nicht vs. nichts, among others, are not reanalyzed or merged into a single form. Instead, they follow Standard German usage:

1. alle/alles

   • alle → the attributive form, used before nouns of any number (alle Menschen, and with mass nouns alle Kummer, alle Segen) and for plural indefinite reference (“all [people/things]”).
   • alles → the standalone pronoun meaning “everything.”

2. viel/viele

   • viel → used with uncountable nouns or adverbially (“much,” “a lot [of something uncountable]”).
   • viele → used with countable plural nouns (“many”).

3. wenig/wenige

   • wenig → used for uncountable references (“little [uncountable amount]”).
   • wenige → used for countable plural references (“few”).

4. nicht/nichts

   • nicht → the standard negation particle (“not”).
   • nichts → the indefinite pronoun meaning “nothing.”

Since Standard German treats these pairs as separate lexical items rather than mere inflectional variants, Alman preserves them unchanged for clarity and mutual intelligibility. Speakers should continue to employ each pair according to established Standard German conventions. This rule overrides other determiner simplifications described in other rules.

The case-inflected forms that these quantifiers take in Standard German (vielen, vielem, vieler, allen, allem, aller, wenigen, wenigem) are handled by dropping the case ending: the result is whichever member of the retained pair fits the context (uncountable or adverbial → viel, countable plural → viele, and so on). Thus vielen Dank becomes viel Dank and in allen Fällen becomes in alle Fälle, mirroring the invariant English quantifiers much, many, all, little, and few. Because the distinction within each pair is lexical rather than declensional, these quantifiers never take the invariant -e ending described in the section on adjectives.

Before a determiner, possessive, or demonstrative, the uninflected all of Standard German is retained: all das Geld, all sein Mühe, mirroring English all the money. Fossilized case-marked forms are normalized by the same principles: vor allem becomes vor alles, and alledem (as in trotz alledem) becomes all das, with the standalone alles equally acceptable (trotz all das / trotz alles).

Examples:

Verbs and Word Order

This section describes the verbal system and syntactic structure of Alman, which maintains full fidelity to Standard German patterns. While other aspects of the grammar may be simplified, verb conjugations and word order rules remain unchanged to preserve the essential character of German syntax and ensure clear communication. One addition compensates for the loss of case marking: when both subject and object are full noun phrases, the subject must precede the object. In ditransitive constructions, the Standard German default of recipient before theme is retained as an interpretation convention, mirroring the English double-object construction.

§8. Verb Conjugations and Forms

This paragraph details the retention of Standard German verb conjugation patterns in Alman, preserving both regular and irregular forms.

§8a. Verb Conjugations

The Alman dialect retains the full complexity of Standard German verb conjugations. Both regular and irregular verb forms remain unaltered, and no further simplification or regularization is introduced. All conjugated forms are used exactly as in Standard German.

Examples:

§8b. Nominalized Verbs

In Standard German, nominalized verbs are assigned neuter gender. In Alman, however, nominalized verbs adhere to the same gender-collapsing principles applied to other nouns, and therefore use the invariant die form in non-genitive contexts. This change simplifies agreement by unifying the treatment of nominalized verbs with that of other nominal forms.

This rule ensures consistency in the treatment of nominalized forms throughout Alman, aligning them with the broader system of gender collapsing. Contractions involving nominalized verbs (e.g., zum Lernen) are resolved and simplified like any other contraction, per the contraction resolution rule in the section on articles.

Examples:

§9. Word Order and Syntax

This paragraph details the preservation of Standard German word order patterns in Alman, maintaining both V2 in main clauses and verb-final position in subordinate clauses. It also describes how constituent order conventions compensate for the loss of case marking in clauses with full-noun-phrase arguments.

§9a. Word Order

The syntactic structure of sentences in Alman adheres to the conventional word order of Standard German. In main clauses, the finite verb occupies the second position (V2 word order). In subordinate clauses, the finite verb is placed at the end of the clause (verb-final position).

Verb-first patterns are likewise retained exactly as in Standard German: yes/no questions (Gehst du in die Kino?), imperatives (Gib mir die Buch!), and conjunction-less conditionals (Kommt er, so gehen wir).

These rules ensure that while morphological aspects of nouns and determiners may be simplified, the verbal system and syntactic structure remain fully consistent with Standard German. Note that while word order patterns are preserved, the article and inflection rules of Alman still apply within these sentences.

Examples:

§9b. Subject-Before-Object Order for Full Noun Phrases

In Standard German, case marking on articles allows flexible constituent order: an object may be fronted (e.g., Den Mann beißt der Hund) because the accusative article identifies it unambiguously. Since Alman eliminates case marking on articles and nouns, this disambiguation is lost.

Therefore, when both the subject and the object of a clause are full noun phrases, the subject must precede the object. Object-fronting remains available when at least one argument is a personal pronoun (which retains case marking, see the section on pronouns) or when context makes the roles unambiguous.

This compensates for the loss of morphological case marking through fixed constituent order, paralleling the historical development of English.

Examples:

§9c. Ditransitive Constructions

With ditransitive verbs such as geben, zeigen, and schicken, Standard German distinguishes the indirect object (dative) from the direct object (accusative) through case marking, while also placing the indirect object before the direct object by default when both are full noun phrases. Alman retains this default order, and the loss of case marking is accepted: in a sequence of two full-noun-phrase objects, the first is interpreted as the recipient and the second as the theme.

This mirrors the English double-object construction (“I give the woman the book”), which likewise functions without case marking. No strict rule is imposed; verb semantics and context resolve the roles in practice, and residual ambiguity is tolerated as it is in English.

Where explicit marking is desired, or when the theme is to precede the recipient, the recipient may instead be expressed with the preposition an (paralleling English “to”), and personal pronouns retain their case forms as usual (see the section on pronouns).

Examples:

Lexical Gender Simplifications

This section outlines the systematic elimination of gender-specific lexical forms in Alman, covering person-denoting nouns such as occupational titles, nationalities, and role descriptions. It describes how traditionally gendered word pairs are consolidated into a single form, using the historically masculine base form with the invariant article system to denote all referents regardless of gender.

§10. Uniformity of Occupational and Person-Denoting Nouns

This paragraph describes the elimination of gender-specific forms in occupational and person-denoting nouns, adopting a simplified system that uses the base form with the invariant article.

In Standard German, person-denoting nouns are frequently marked for gender with the suffix -in: occupations (der Lehrer versus die Lehrerin), nationalities and origins (der Türke versus die Türkin), and roles (der Kollege versus die Kollegin). In Alman, such distinctions are eliminated. All person-denoting nouns are rendered without gender-specific modifications; the feminine suffix is omitted, and the masculine base form is universally employed. Consequently, person-denoting nouns are treated analogously to other nouns by employing the invariant definite article die and the indefinite article ein.

Natural gender, where communicatively relevant, is conveyed by pronouns (see the section on pronouns) or by context. Relationship senses that Standard German carries through the suffix (Freundin “girlfriend”) are expressed as in colloquial usage, e.g., feste Freund, with pronouns marking gender.

This rule ensures a uniform treatment of person-denoting nouns, reflecting the broader commitment within Alman to reduce gender differentiation in lexical items.

The rule covers person-denoting derivatives beyond established titles, including feminine surname derivatives (die Steegin → die Steeg, “the Steeg woman”) and role epithets (die Eiskönigin → die Eiskönig). It does not, however, reach inside compounds whose referent is not a person: die Malerinnenschule (a school for women painters) keeps its form, since stripping the suffix would change the meaning of the compound.

Examples: