The Luxembourgish n-rule (Eifeler Regel) explained with examples
Gudde Moien but gudden Owend; ech kommen haut but ech komme kuerz. The disappearing n of Luxembourgish follows one short rule — here it is, with real sentences from the LOD dictionary where you can hear the n drop and stay, and a short exercise.
Updated · 4 min read
Every learner meets it on day one: Gudde Moien has no n, Gudden Owend has one. The same word seems to change spelling from one sentence to the next — *ech kommen*, *ech komme*; *hien*, *hie*; *kann*, *ka*. It is not a typo and not dialect: it is the n-rule, also called the Eifeler Regel after the Eifel region, and it is part of the official spelling of Luxembourgish set by the Zenter fir d'Lëtzebuerger Sprooch (ZLS). Every example below is a sentence from the Lëtzebuerger Online Dictionnaire (LOD) read by a native speaker.
The rule in one sentence
A word ending in -n or -nn drops that n when the next word begins with a consonant — except n, d, t, z and h. Before a vowel, before n, d, t, z, h, and at the end of a sentence, the n stays.
Why these five? d, t, z and n are made with the tongue in the same place as n itself, so keeping the n costs nothing; h is barely a consonant at all. Before m, g, k, s, f, w… the n is simply dropped — say *gudde Moien* aloud and you will hear why.
| Next word starts with… | The n… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a vowel (a, e, i, o, u, ä, é, ë…) | stays | gudden Owend, ech kommen elo |
| n, d, t, z or h | stays | Den Zuch, ech kommen haut, den Hond |
| any other consonant (b, f, g, k, l, m, p, r, s, sch, w…) | drops | gudde Moien, ech komme kuerz, si gi spadséieren |
| nothing — end of sentence or a comma | stays | Waart, bis ech prett sinn, da ginn ech mat! |
Hear it: the n drops
Gudde Moien, Madamm, wat kann ech fir Iech maachen?
Literally: Good morning, madam — what can I do for you?
Meaning: gudde before M. But kann ech keeps its n before the vowel.
Ech si midd, ech gi geschwë schlofen.
Literally: I'm tired, I'll go to bed soon.
Meaning: Three drops: sinn → si (before m), ginn → gi (before g), geschwënn → geschwë (before s). schlofen = to sleep.
Äre Bouf ka gutt zeechnen.
Literally: Your son can draw well.
Meaning: kann → ka before g. See kënnen.
Gi se mat spadséieren, oder bleiwe se doheem?
Literally: Are they coming along for a walk, or are they staying at home?
Meaning: ginn → gi, bleiwen → bleiwe — both before s.
Firwat bass de mer um Bal net Moie soe komm?
Literally: Why didn't you come and say hello to me at the dance?
Meaning: Moien → Moie (before s) and soen → soe (before k) in one breath.
Den Hond huet net wëlle follegen.
Literally: The dog wouldn't obey.
Meaning: Den keeps its n before H; wëllen → wëlle before f.
Hear it: the n stays
Gudden Owend, wéi geet et Iech?
Literally: Good evening — how are you?
Meaning: gudden before a vowel.
Ech kommen haut net iwwer Mëtteg heem iessen.
Literally: I'm not coming home for lunch today.
Meaning: kommen before h — kept.
Den Zuch kënnt ëm dräi Auer an der Nuecht un.
Literally: The train arrives at three in the morning.
Meaning: Den before Z — kept.
Hien ass gaangen, ouni Äddi ze soen.
Literally: He left without saying goodbye.
Meaning: Hien before a vowel. Compare *hie geet* below.
Waart, bis ech prett sinn, da ginn ech mat!
Literally: Wait until I'm ready, then I'll come along!
Meaning: sinn before a comma and ginn before a vowel — both kept.
Which words does it affect?
Any word that ends in -n or -nn — and that is a lot of words, because most verb forms do:
| Kind of word | Full form | Before most consonants |
|---|---|---|
| articles | den, en | de Mëtteg, e Fleck |
| pronouns (all forms) | hien | hie geet |
| verbs (-en forms) | kommen, bleiwen, iessen | ech komme kuerz, bleiwe se doheem, iesse goen |
| short verbs | sinn, ginn, hunn, kann (kënnen) | si, gi, hu, ka |
| adjectives | gudden, schéinen | gudde Moien, schéine Weekend |
| small words | wann, wouhin, virun, zesummen | wa mer…, wouhi gi mer, viru Mëtteg, zesumme goen |
Hie geet mir knapps bis un d'Schëller.
Literally: He barely comes up to my shoulders.
Meaning: hie before g; un keeps its n before d. See goen.
Et géif eis freeën, wa mer eng Kéier zesumme géifen iesse goen.
Literally: We'd be glad if we went out for a meal together some time.
Meaning: wann → wa, zesummen → zesumme, iessen → iesse — while géifen keeps its n before the vowel of *iesse*.
Wouhi gi mer de Mëtteg iessen?
Literally: Where are we going for lunch?
Meaning: wouhin → wouhi, ginn → gi; de (den) before M.
Äddi a schéine Weekend!
Literally: Bye, and have a nice weekend!
Meaning: schéinen → schéine before W. More in goodbye in Luxembourgish.
Why it matters for you
- Listening. In fast speech whole words shrink — *hu mer*, *ka mer*, *gi se*. If you only know *hunn*, *kann* and *ginn*, you will not recognise them. LOD's recordings and the Sproochentest listening part use natural speech.
- Spelling. In writing the rule is official: *gudde Moien* is correct and *gudden Moien* is a mistake. Every verb table shows both forms where they exist — look at goen (*gaangen / gaang*) or kréien.
- Speaking. Dropping the n is what makes Luxembourgish sound fluent rather than read aloud. Practise the greetings and the phrase pages with the rule in mind.
Only the final n. The rule never touches an n inside a word, and it only looks at the very next sound. *Gudde Moien* and *gudden Owend* are both correct — they just stand in front of different letters.
Check yourself
Decide: n or no n? Then check against the rule. *gudde(n) Owend · ech komme(n) muer · de(n) Zuch · mir kënne(n) net · e(n) Fleck · e(n) Haus · hie(n) schafft · mir si(nn) do* (check the verbs on schaffen and sinn). (Answers: n · no n · n · n · no n · n · no n · n.) One spelling to know: LOD writes *wann s de* with its n — the little s that marks du (see word order) does not count as the next word.
Train your ear on real Luxembourgish
16Word's Luxembourgish sentences are LOD examples with their native recordings — the n-rule in every line. Type what you hear, 16 at a time, with a Blocks break between answers.
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Questions about the n-rule
What is the n-rule in Luxembourgish?
A word ending in -n or -nn drops the n when the next word starts with a consonant other than n, d, t, z or h. Before a vowel, before n, d, t, z, h and at the end of a sentence the n stays. It is also called the Eifeler Regel.
Why is it gudde Moien but gudden Owend?
Moien starts with m, a consonant that is not n, d, t, z or h, so gudden loses its n. Owend starts with a vowel, so the n stays.
Is the n-rule part of official Luxembourgish spelling?
Yes. The official orthography maintained by the ZLS includes it, so gudde Moien is the correct written form and gudden Moien is a mistake.
Does the n-rule apply to verbs?
Yes, to every verb form ending in -n: ech kommen haut but ech komme kuerz; sinn → si, ginn → gi, hunn → hu, kann → ka before most consonants.
Official sources
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