der
Anwärter
🧐 What exactly is an Anwärter?
Der Anwärter (plural: die Anwärter) refers to a male person who is applying for, has a claim to, or is being considered for a specific position, office, title, or membership. It often implies a formal or official candidacy or a status as next in line.
- Official Context: Frequently used in the public sector, e.g., Beamtenanwärter (someone training to become a civil servant - Beamter).
- General Context: Can also be used more generally for a candidate or aspirant, e.g., Anwärter auf den Sieg (candidate for victory).
- Feminine Form: The feminine form is die Anwärterin.
⚠️ Don't confuse it with a simple Bewerber (applicant), who might have just applied, whereas the Anwärter is often a step further or implies a stronger expectation.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-er → mostly masculine.
1. Caution: many exceptions. 2. almost all -euer nouns are neutral. 3. There are many -er words, we don't list them all.
📐 Grammar Corner: Der Anwärter in Detail
The word "Anwärter" is a masculine noun. Here are the declension tables:
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Subject) | der | Anwärter |
| Genitive (Possessive) | des | Anwärters |
| Dative (Indirect Object) | dem | Anwärter |
| Accusative (Direct Object) | den | Anwärter |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Anwärter |
| Genitive | der | Anwärter |
| Dative | den | Anwärtern |
| Accusative | die | Anwärter |
📝 Example Sentences
- Er ist Anwärter auf die freie Stelle des Abteilungsleiters.
(He is a candidate for the vacant position of department head.) - Mehrere Anwärter meldeten sich für den Ausbildungsplatz.
(Several candidates applied for the training position.) - Die Prüfung für die Beamtenanwärter findet nächste Woche statt.
(The exam for the civil servant trainees takes place next week.) - Als Thronfolger ist der Prinz der erste Anwärter auf die Krone.
(As heir to the throne, the prince is the first contender for the crown.)
💡 How Anwärter is Used
The term Anwärter is mostly used in somewhat more formal contexts:
- Public Service & Training: Very common for people in specific training programs leading to a permanent position or civil servant status (Polizeianwärter - police trainee, Lehramtsanwärter - teacher trainee, Referendar - specific term for legal or teacher trainees).
- Succession & Inheritance: When someone is designated as the next in line for a position or title (Thronanwärter - heir apparent/claimant to the throne, Anwärter auf den Parteivorsitz - candidate for party leadership).
- Sports & Competition: Someone with a good chance of winning or claiming a title (Anwärter auf die Meisterschaft - contender for the championship).
- General Application: Less common, but possible for a promising candidate for a job or membership.
Compared to Bewerber (applicant), Anwärter often emphasizes a stronger entitlement or higher probability of getting the position, or an already initiated process (like training).
🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids
-
Remembering the Article: An Anwärter is typically a male person (or the general term defaults to masculine in German grammar), a candidate. Think of der Mann, der Kandidat. So, it's der Anwärter.
-
Remembering the Meaning: Imagine someone standing an (at) the door, wartet (waiting) to be admitted to a new position. They are 'waiting at the threshold' – an An-Wärter (at-waiter).
↔️ Synonyms & Antonyms for Anwärter
Synonyms (Similar Meaning):
- Kandidat: (Candidate) Very similar, often interchangeable, perhaps slightly more general.
- Bewerber: (Applicant) Someone actively applying; less strong than Anwärter.
- Aspirant: (Aspirant) More formal term for someone striving for something (e.g., Offiziersaspirant - officer aspirant).
- Interessent: (Interested party) Someone showing interest, but not necessarily a formal candidate yet.
- Nachfolger (potential): (Successor) Someone being considered to take over a position.
Antonyms (Opposite Meaning):
- Amtsinhaber: (Incumbent) The person currently holding the position.
- Platzhirsch: (Top dog - colloquial) The established person in a position or field.
- Etablierter: (Established person) Someone already firmly in a role or position.
- Ausgeschiedener / Ehemaliger: (Former / Ex-) Someone who has left the position.
🚨 Similar-sounding words: Be careful with Aufwärter (obsolete term for servant, waiter).
😄 A Little Joke
Fragt der Chef den Beamtenanwärter: "Was halten Sie von flexiblen Arbeitszeiten?" Antwortet der Anwärter: "Prinzipiell gut, aber wann genau ist denn dann Feierabend?"
Translation:
The boss asks the civil servant trainee: "What do you think of flexible working hours?" The trainee replies: "Good in principle, but when exactly is quitting time then?"
✍️ Poem about the Anwärter
Der Anwärter, hoffnungsvoll und jung,
strebt nach dem Amt mit frischem Schwung.
Er lernt Gesetze, Paragraphen schwer,
hofft auf die Zukunft, bitte sehr!
Mit Aktenmappe und korrektem Schein,
will er bald Teil des Ganzen sein.
Er wartet an der Schwelle, fast am Ziel,
das Warten ist sein täglich Spiel.
Translation:
The candidate, hopeful and young,
Strives for the office, freshly sprung.
He learns the laws, paragraphs so deep,
Hopes for the future, promises to keep!
With briefcase neat and proper air,
He wants to soon be part of there.
He waits upon the threshold, goal in sight,
This waiting game, his daily plight.
❓ Riddle Time
Ich stehe Schlange für Thron oder Stuhl,
bin oft im Amt, das ist die Schul'.
Ich warte auf die Chance, bin noch nicht drin,
habe die Position fest im Sinn.
Wer bin ich?
Translation:
I queue for throne or chair,
Am often in an office, that's the 'school' there.
I wait for my chance, I'm not yet in,
Have the position firmly fixed within.
Who am I?
Solution: der Anwärter (the candidate/aspirant)
🌐 Other Information
- Word Formation: The word is composed of the prefix an- (meaning towards, approaching) and the noun Wärter (from warten - to wait). It describes someone who is 'waiting towards' or has a claim to something specific.
- Feminine Form: As mentioned, the feminine form is die Anwärterin (plural: die Anwärterinnen).
- International Equivalents: Often translates to candidate, applicant, aspirant, or more specifically trainee civil servant in English.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Anwärter?
The word "Anwärter" is masculine. It is always der Anwärter. It refers to a male person who is working towards or has a claim to a position, office, or title (e.g., Beamtenanwärter - civil servant trainee, Thronanwärter - heir apparent). The feminine form is die Anwärterin.