das  Sortiment

B1

Estimated CEFR level.

/das zɔʁtɪˈmɛnt/

📦 What does "das Sortiment" mean?

Das Sortiment (noun, neuter) refers to the entire range or assortment of goods or services offered by a retailer, manufacturer, or service provider. It's the selection or palette of products available for sale.

Imagine a shop: Everything you can buy there – from different types of apples to various toothpastes – belongs to the Sortiment of that shop.

• It relates to the variety and composition of the offering.
• It exclusively uses the article das. ⚠️ No risk of confusion with other articles!

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar Focus: Declension of "das Sortiment"

Sortiment is a noun of neuter gender (sächlich). It is used with the article das.

Singular Declension

Note: In the genitive and dative singular, both forms (-s/-es and without ending/-e respectively) are often possible, though the shorter forms (-s / without ending) are more common.

Plural Declension

Example Sentences 📝

1. Das Sortiment des neuen Supermarktes ist beeindruckend breit.
   (The new supermarket's assortment is impressively wide.)
2. Wir müssen unser Sortiment an Winterkleidung erweitern.
   (We need to expand our range of winter clothing.)
3. Der Kunde war mit dem angebotenen Sortiment nicht zufrieden.
   (The customer was not satisfied with the offered assortment.)
4. Viele verschiedene Produkte gehören zum Sortiment dieses Online-Shops.
   (Many different products belong to the assortment of this online shop.)
5. Die Analyse des Sortiments ergab Verbesserungspotenzial.
   (The analysis of the assortment revealed potential for improvement.)

🛒 When to use "Sortiment"?

Sortiment is primarily used in the context of trade, business, and production.

• Typical Use Cases: Describing the range of goods in a shop (Supermarkt, Buchhandlung, Modehaus), catalogue, online shop, or the product range of a manufacturer.
• Context: It emphasizes the entirety and the structured selection of the offered goods. One often speaks of a breites Sortiment (wide range: many different product groups) or a tiefes Sortiment (deep range: lots of variety within one product group).
• Distinction from similar words:
  • Auswahl: Can also refer to a smaller, more specific group or a person's personal choice ("Meine Auswahl an Büchern" - My selection of books). Sortiment usually refers to the entire offering of a provider.
  • Angebot: Can also mean a single product at a specific price (Sonderangebot - special offer) or a service. Sortiment is more specific to the entirety of goods/products.
  • Palette: Often used synonymously, but can also be used more figuratively for a range of possibilities (e.g., "die Palette der Meinungen" - the range of opinions).

You can erweitern (expand), verkleinern (reduce), anpassen (adapt), optimieren (optimize), or analysieren (analyze) your Sortiment.

💡 How to remember "das Sortiment"

Article Mnemonic (das):

Think of "das department store". In das store, you find the whole Sortiment. Many neutral things end in -ment (like instrument, department), and so does Sortiment, which takes das.

Meaning Mnemonic (Range/Assortment):

Imagine you sort the many different products (das Sortiment) on a shelf. The Sortiment is the result of sorting and assembling the range of goods.

↔️ Opposites and Similarities: Synonyms & Antonyms

Similar but different words:

• Sortierung: The process of ordering or classifying. Not the result, unlike Sortiment.
• Sorte: A specific type or variety within a product group (e.g., eine Apfelsorte - a variety of apple). Das Sortiment includes many Sorten.

😂 A little joke about the assortment

Warum hat der Gemüsehändler sein Sortiment geändert?

Er wollte einfach mal über seinen eigenen Salattenrand schauen!

(Why did the greengrocer change his assortment?
He just wanted to think outside the box! - Literal play on words: "über den Tellerrand schauen" means "to think outside the box", but "Salat" means salad, so it sounds like "look over his own salad edge".)

✍️ Poem about the product range

Im Laden, groß und breit,
steht alles schön bereit.
Von A bis Z, man staunt und schaut,
das Sortiment, gut aufgebaut.

Ob süß, ob salzig, klein ob groß,
die Auswahl ist famos.
Für jeden Wunsch, für jeden Gast,
ist hier im Angebot die Last.

---

(In the shop, large and wide,
Everything stands ready inside.
From A to Z, one marvels and sees,
The assortment, built with ease.

Whether sweet or salty, small or grand,
The selection is quite bland... no, grand!
For every wish, for every guest,
The offering here passes the test.)

❓ Riddle Time

Ich bin die ganze Warenpracht,
die ein Geschäft zu bieten hat.
Von Schrauben bis zum Zuckerguss,
ich biete jeden Überfluss.
Man sagt, ich bin mal breit, mal tief,
je nachdem, was der Händler rief.

Was bin ich?

(I am all the splendid goods,
That a shop has in its woods.
From screws right down to frosting sweet,
I offer surplus, can't be beat.
They say I'm sometimes wide, sometimes deep,
Depending on the goods the merchant keeps.

What am I?)

Solution: das Sortiment (the assortment/range)

ℹ️ Trivia & Origin

• Origin: The word "Sortiment" comes from the French word assortiment, which means "collection" or "selection". It derives from the verb assortir ("to match", "to sort").
• Business Terms: In marketing and retail, a distinction is often made between:
  • Sortimentsbreite: (Assortment width) The number of different product groups (e.g., groceries, clothing, electronics). A department store (Kaufhaus) has a wide assortment (breites Sortiment).
  • Sortimentstiefe: (Assortment depth) The number of different items and varieties within a product group (e.g., many different types of yogurt). A specialty store (Fachgeschäft) often has a deep assortment (tiefes Sortiment).
• Compounds: Common compound words include e.g., Sortimentspolitik (assortment policy), Sortimentsgestaltung (assortment design), Randsortiment (fringe assortment), Kernsortiment (core assortment), Vollsortimenter (retailer with a full range).