The Eifeler Regel (the n-rule)

The n-rule decides whether a final -n survives. Keep it before a vowel or n, d, t, z, h; drop it before any other consonant. It governs articles, verbs and small words alike.

The rule

The Eifeler Regel (the n-rule) is the single most characteristic feature of Luxembourgish pronunciation and spelling. It decides whether a word ending in -n or -nn keeps that ending or drops it, depending on the very next sound.

The rule: keep the final -n before a word that begins with a vowel or with n, d, t, z or h; drop it before any other consonant. It is not optional and it is reflected in the spelling, so you must write it correctly too.

wann ech kommen	when I come	'wann' before a vowel → -n kept.
wa mir kommen	when we come	'wann' before 'mir' (m) → 'wa'.

Try it

ech Zäit hunn, kommen ech mat. (wann)

Before 'ech' (a vowel) the -nn is kept.

The keeper letters

Memorise the keepers: any vowel, plus the consonants n, d, t, z and h. Before every other consonant (b, f, g, k, l, m, p, s, v, w …) the final -n disappears.

The same set works in both directions — it tells you when to write 'den' rather than 'de', and when to write 'kommen' rather than 'komme'.

den Dag, den Numm, den Tuerm, den Zuch, den Hond, den Auto	the day, the name, the tower, the train, the dog, the car	keepers: d, n, t, z, h and vowels.
de Bus, de Frënd, de Kaffi, de Mount	the bus, the friend, the coffee, the month	dropped before b, f, k, m …

Where it shows up

The rule is everywhere, not only on articles. It applies to the articles 'den/de' and 'en/e'; to the verbs 'sinn' and 'hunn' ('ech sinn doheem' but 'ech si frou'; 'mir hunn Zäit' but 'mir hu geschafft'); to the -en ending of plural and infinitive verb forms ('mir spillen dacks' but 'mir spille gär'); and to small function words such as 'wann', 'dann' and 'schonn'.

It even reaches the pronoun 'hien' → 'hie' and the separable prefixes 'un/u', 'an/a'. Once you hear it as one single pattern, all of these fall into place together.

Ech sinn doheem. / Ech si frou.	I'm at home. / I'm happy.	'sinn' → 'si' before 'frou' (f).
Mir hunn Zäit. / Mir hu gewonnen.	We have time. / We won.	'hunn' → 'hu' before 'gewonnen' (g).
Mir spillen dacks. / Mir spille gär.	We play often. / We like playing.	the verb -en drops before 'gär' (g).
Dann ass et gutt. / Da gi mir heem.	Then it's fine. / Then we'll go home.	'dann' → 'da' before 'gi' (g).

Try it

Mir gutt geschlof. (hunn)

Before 'gutt' (g) the final -n drops.

Ech gesinn Bus. (de/den)

Before 'Bus' (b) the article loses its -n.

Exceptions and exam tips

A few practical points. At the end of a sentence, or before any pause, the -n stays, because there is no following word to trigger the drop: 'Jo, ech kommen.' The rule also reduces '-nn' endings to a vowel-final form: 'wann' → 'wa', 'dann' → 'da', 'schonn' → 'scho'. Some foreign words and names can resist the rule, but the everyday vocabulary above follows it reliably.

For the Sproochentest this is marked. A missing -n where it belongs, or a stray -n before b, f, g, k, m …, both sound wrong to a native examiner and cost you in writing. The spellchecker at spellchecker.lu enforces the rule, and reading your answers aloud is the fastest way to train it — your ear catches it quicker than your eye.

Jo, ech kommen.	Yes, I'm coming.	sentence-final → -n kept.
Ech si scho fäerdeg.	I'm already finished.	'schonn' → 'scho' before 'fäerdeg' (f).
Ech hunn en Hond an eng Kaz.	I have a dog and a cat.	'en' before 'Hond' (h) keeps -n; feminine 'eng' never changes.