der
Bewohner
🏡 What does "der Bewohner" mean?
Der Bewohner refers to a male person who lives or resides in a specific place. This can be a house, an apartment, a city, a country, or even an area.
- Haus/Wohnung (house/apartment): The person living there.
- Gebiet/Region (area/region): A person residing in that area.
The feminine form is die Bewohnerin (the female resident).
🚨 Note: The plural form die Bewohner (the residents) can refer to a group of men or a mixed group. If referring explicitly to a group of only women, use die Bewohnerinnen.
Article rules for der, die, and das
Male characters → always masculine.
Caution: Most professions also have their feminine forms (e.g. die Polizistin). Some words can also have two forms: der/die Deutsche, der/die Kranke.
-ner → almost always masculine.
Compare with the category '-er'.
-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 of "Bewohner" in Detail
"Bewohner" is a masculine noun. It follows the so-called weak declension (n-declension). This means it takes the ending -n or -en in all cases except the nominative singular.
Declension Singular
| Case | Article | Noun | (English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Who/What?) | der | Bewohner | the resident |
| Genitive (Whose?) | des | Bewohners / Bewohnern ⚠️¹ | the resident's / of the resident |
| Dative (To/For whom?) | dem | Bewohnern | to/for the resident |
| Accusative (Whom/What?) | den | Bewohnern | the resident |
⚠️¹ The genitive singular can be formed with either -s or -n. The -n form is typical for n-declension, but the s-form is also common for "Bewohner" and often perceived as more correct, even though n-declension strictly requires -n. The Duden dictionary lists both forms.
Declension Plural
| Case | Article | Noun | (English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Bewohner | the residents |
| Genitive | der | Bewohner | the residents' / of the residents |
| Dative | den | Bewohnern | to/for the residents |
| Accusative | die | Bewohner | the residents |
📝 Application Examples
- Nominative: Der neue Bewohner des Hauses ist sehr freundlich. (The new resident of the house is very friendly.)
- Genitive: Das Auto des Bewohners steht vor der Tür. (The resident's car is parked in front of the door.)
- Dative: Ich habe dem Bewohnern geholfen. (I helped the resident.)
- Accusative: Kennst du den Bewohnern von nebenan? (Do you know the resident next door?)
- Plural Nominative: Die Bewohner des Dorfes feierten ein Fest. (The residents of the village celebrated a festival.)
- Plural Dative: Die Bürgermeisterin sprach mit den Bewohnern. (The mayor spoke with the residents.)
🗣️ How to use "der Bewohner"?
"Der Bewohner" is used to describe a person who has their permanent residence in a place.
- Context: Can refer to tenants or owners. The focus is on the act of wohnen (living/dwelling).
- Difference from "Einwohner": "Der Einwohner" (inhabitant) is often used in a more official, statistical, or administrative context (e.g., Einwohner of a city/country). "Der Bewohner" is more general and can also refer to smaller units like a house or even an animal shelter (e.g., die vierbeinigen Bewohner - the four-legged residents).
- Examples of places: Hausbewohner (house resident), Stadtbewohner (city dweller), Inselbewohner (island resident), Heimbewohner (care home resident), Zoobewohner (zoo inhabitant), Erdbewohner (earth dweller).
You might say: "Alle Bewohner des Mietshauses wurden über die Renovierung informiert." (All residents of the apartment building were informed about the renovation.) Here, "Einwohner" would be inappropriate.
Or: "Berlin hat über 3,7 Millionen Einwohner." (Berlin has over 3.7 million inhabitants.) Here, "Bewohner" would be less precise, although not strictly wrong.
🧠 Mnemonics to Remember
Article Mnemonic: Think of DER as the default article for male persons. Der Bewohner is a male resident.
Meaning Mnemonic: "Bewohner" contains the verb "wohnen" (to live/dwell). A Bewohner is someone who wohns somewhere.
↔️ Synonyms & Antonyms for Bewohner
Synonyms (similar meaning):
- Einwohner: Inhabitant. Often more official, usually refers to larger geographical units (city, country).
- Insasse: Inmate, occupant. Often used for institutions like prisons, care homes, hospitals.
- Anwohner/Anlieger: Resident (of a specific street/property). Emphasizes living directly adjacent to something.
- Hausbewohner: House resident. Specific to residents of a house.
- Mieter/Pächter: Tenant/lessee. Emphasizes the rental/lease relationship, not just dwelling.
Antonyms (opposites):
- Besucher: Visitor. Someone who is only there temporarily.
- Gast: Guest. Someone invited or staying for a short time.
- Fremder: Stranger. An unknown person who doesn't belong.
- Durchreisender: Traveler passing through.
- Außenseiter: Outsider. Someone not part of the community.
⚠️ Similar but different words:
😂 A little joke
DE: Fragt der neue Bewohner seinen Nachbarn: "Sagen Sie mal, wie ist denn hier so die Nachbarschaft?" Antwortet der Nachbar: "Sehr ruhig. Das Lauteste, was Sie hören werden, ist der Wecker am Montagmorgen – kollektiv."
EN: The new resident asks his neighbor: "Tell me, what's the neighborhood like here?" The neighbor replies: "Very quiet. The loudest thing you'll hear is the alarm clock on Monday morning – collectively."
📜 Poem about the Bewohner
DE:
Im Haus, ob groß, ob klein und schlicht,
wohnt er, erfüllt die Lebenspflicht.
Der Bewohner, Tag für Tag,
hört gern der Vögel Flügelschlag.
Er kennt die Ecke, jeden Stein,
fühlt sich zu Haus, ist nie allein.
Ob Stadt, ob Land, wo er auch sei,
dem Ort hält er oft lang die Treu'.
EN:
In the house, big or small and plain,
he lives, fulfilling life's domain.
The resident, day after day,
likes hearing birds' wings on their way.
He knows the corner, every stone,
feels right at home, is not alone.
Whether city, country, where he be,
to the place, he's loyal, usually.
❓ Riddle
DE:
Ich habe kein eigenes Haus, doch wohn' ich drin.
Ich zahle Miete oder Zins, darin liegt oft der Sinn.
Ich lebe hier, bin sesshaft, nicht nur Gast.
Bin ich männlich, braucht mein Wort 'nen bestimmten Mast (Artikel).
Wer bin ich?
Lösung: der Bewohner
EN:
I have no house of my own, yet I live inside.
I pay rent or interest, that's often implied.
I live here, I'm settled, not just a guest passing fast.
If I am male, my noun needs a specific mast (article).
Who am I?
Solution: der Bewohner (the male resident)
💡 Other Interesting Facts
Word Composition:
The word "Bewohner" derives from the verb "wohnen" (to live, to dwell). The prefix "be-" here indicates applying an action to something or doing it intensively (similar to be-arbeiten - to work on, be-suchen - to visit). The suffix "-er" denotes a person performing the action (agent noun).
So: be- + wohn(en) + -er = The one who (intensively) lives somewhere.
Related Words:
- wohnen (verb: to live/dwell)
- die Wohnung (noun: apartment, dwelling)
- bewohnen (verb: to inhabit, to occupy) - e.g., ein Haus bewohnen
- bewohnbar (adjective: habitable)
- unbewohnt (adjective: uninhabited)
- die Bewohnerin (feminine form: female resident)
Summary: is it der, die or das Bewohner?
The noun "Bewohner" is masculine. The correct article is der Bewohner.