das  Prozent

A2

Estimated CEFR level.

/pʁoʦɛnt/

🔢 What does "das Prozent" mean?

Das Prozent (symbol: %) signifies the hundredth part (Hundertstel) of a whole. It's used to express proportions, ratios, or changes.

The term originates from the Italian per cento or Latin pro centum, meaning "for hundred" or "per hundred".

Although it's grammatically neuter (das Prozent), in everyday language, it's typically used in the singular form without an article after numbers (e.g., "fünf Prozent" - five percent).

⚠️ Note: The plural form "die Prozente" is used less frequently and often refers to percentage shares in finance or statistics (e.g., "die Prozente bei der Wahl" - the percentages in the election).

Article rules for der, die, and das

📊 Grammar of "das Prozent" in Detail

"Prozent" is a noun of neuter gender (sächlich). Following numbers, it is usually not declined and used in the singular form.

Example Sentences

• Der Preis wurde um zehn Prozent gesenkt. (The price was reduced by ten percent. - Standard usage after a number)
• Nur ein kleiner Prozentsatz der Bevölkerung ist betroffen. (Only a small percentage of the population is affected.)
• Das letzte Prozent zu erreichen, war am schwierigsten. (Reaching the last percent was the most difficult. - Emphasizing a specific percent)
• Die Bank berechnet hohe Prozente für den Kredit. (The bank charges high percentages/rates for the loan. - Plural: interest rates/shares)
• Wie viel Prozent sind das? (What percentage is that?)

💡 Everyday Usage

"Prozent" is a very common word, especially in these contexts:

• Economics & Finance: Interest rates (Zinsen), discounts (Rabatte), profit margins (Gewinnmargen), tax rates (Steuersätze) (e.g., "19 Prozent Mehrwertsteuer" - 19 percent VAT).
• Statistics & Science: Survey results (Umfrageergebnisse), probabilities (Wahrscheinlichkeiten), proportions (Anteile) (e.g., "60 Prozent der Befragten stimmten zu" - 60 percent of respondents agreed).
• Daily Life: Describing portions (e.g., "Der Akku ist bei 20 Prozent" - The battery is at 20 percent), comparisons, increases or reductions.

Typical Phrases:

• X Prozent von Y: "50 Prozent von 100 sind 50." (50 percent of 100 is 50.)
• um X Prozent steigen/sinken/zunehmen/abnehmen: "Die Verkaufszahlen sind um 15 Prozent gestiegen." (Sales figures increased by 15 percent.)
• prozentual: as an adjective/adverb ("eine prozentuale Steigerung" - a percentage increase)

Symbol %: In German, the percent sign (%) is often separated from the number by a (non-breaking) space (e.g., "25 %"). However, the Duden dictionary recommends writing it without a space when it belongs to the digit ("25%"). In running text, the word "Prozent" is often written out. This spacing convention differs from English, which usually places the symbol directly after the number (25%).

🧠 Mnemonics for "das Prozent"

Article Mnemonic: Think of "das Hundertstel" (the hundredth part). Many German words ending in "-tel" indicating a fraction are neuter (das Drittel - the third, das Viertel - the quarter). Thus, das Prozent is the hundredth part.

Meaning Mnemonic: "Pro Zent" sounds very much like the English "per cent" or the Latin phrase "per hundred". Imagine getting a share *per* every one of 100 *cents* – that's one *percent*.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Similar but Different Terms

• Promille (‰): Means "per thousand" (tausendstel), not hundredth. Often used for blood alcohol content or gradients/slopes.
• Punkt (Point): In finance, changes in interest rates can be expressed in "Prozentpunkte" (percentage points) to describe an absolute change in percentage values (e.g., an increase from 2% to 3% is an increase of one percentage point, but a 50 percent increase).

😄 A Little Percentage Fun

Lehrer: "Wenn ich dir 10 Äpfel gebe und du 20 Prozent davon an Fritz weitergibst, wie viele Äpfel hast du dann noch?"
Schüler: "Immer noch 10 Äpfel - und einen unzufriedenen Fritz!"

Teacher: "If I give you 10 apples and you give 20 percent of them to Fritz, how many apples do you have left?"
Student: "Still 10 apples - and one unhappy Fritz!"

📜 Poem about Percent

Ein kleines Zeichen, doch mit Macht,
das Prozent, wer hätte das gedacht?
Es zeigt den Teil vom großen Ganzen,
lässt Zahlen tanzen, Händler schwanzen.

Ob Rabatt beim Kauf, ob Zins beim Spar'n,
ob Mehrheit bei den Wählerscharen.
Ein Hundertstel, ganz schlicht und klein,
so misst die Welt sich, fein und rein.

A little symbol, yet with might,
das Prozent, who would have thought it, right?
It shows the part of the whole so grand,
makes numbers dance across the land.

Be it discounts when you buy, or interest saved,
or majorities when voters waved.
A hundredth part, quite plain and small,
so measures the world, standing tall.

❓ Riddle Time

Ich bin ein Teil von Hundert Stücken,
helfe dir beim Preise drücken.
Mein Zeichen sieht fast aus wie Schleifen,
um Anteile gut zu begreifen.

Was bin ich? ... Das Prozent

I am a part of hundred pieces,
Helping you get price decreases.
My symbol looks almost like loops entwined,
To help grasp portions of every kind.

What am I? ... Percent (das Prozent)

🧐 Other Interesting Facts

• Origin: As mentioned, "Prozent" comes from Italian/Latin meaning "per hundred".
• Symbol Evolution %: The % symbol evolved over centuries from the abbreviation "p.c." (per cento). The letters and the dividing slash gradually morphed into the modern symbol.
• Common Pitfall: Confusing Prozent (percent) and Prozentpunkte (percentage points). An increase *by* (um) 10 percent is relative (e.g., from 50 to 55), while an increase *by* 10 percentage points is absolute (e.g., from 50% to 60%).