manch

German

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle High German manec, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old High German manag. The -ch- is due to the traditional fricative pronunciation of non-initial -g- in Central German dialects. The spelling became predominant in early modern German, possibly reinforced by the similar clusters in welch and solch. The original form has remained in mannigfach, manniglich, mannigfaltig, etc. Cognate with Dutch menig, English many.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /manç/

• Audio:

  (file)

Pronoun

manch

1. (used as an adjective or a noun) many a; many; some

Usage notes

• Only the inflected forms are commonly used in colloquial and informal German.
• The bare form is sometimes used with a following adjective in literary German: manch schöner Tag instead of mancher schöne Tag – “many a beautiful day”. (Note the consequent change in the declension of the adjective.) The bare form without a following adjective is poetic.

Declension

Declension of mancher
	masculine	feminine	neuter	plural
nominative	mancher	manche	manches	manche
genitive	manches manchen	mancher	manches manchen	mancher
dative	manchem	mancher	manchem	manchen
accusative	manchen	manche	manches	manche

See also

• manchmal
• viel

Further reading

• “manch” in Duden online