-al
Nouns ending in -al are usually das.
German does not build these — the words arrived whole.The words came from Latin.
Examples
- das Regal
- das Material
- das Lehrmaterial
- das Signal
- das Lokal
- das Original
- das Festival
Plural
- das Regal → die Regale
- das Material → die Materialien
Exceptions
The four that break it are easier learned as a list than as a rule: der Kanal, der Skandal, der Pokal, die Moral.
- der Kanal
- der Skandal
- der Pokal
- die Moral
Same letters, different ending
- der Saal
- der Schal
- der Wal