der
Gewinner
🏆 What does "der Gewinner" mean?
Der Gewinner refers to a male person (or a male animal/thing personified as male) who has successfully won a competition, game, lottery, or similar contest. It's the agent noun (Nomen Agentis) derived from the verb gewinnen (to win).
- Main meaning: A person who wins or gains something; a winner.
- Figurative meaning: Someone who is successful in a situation or gains an advantage ("Der Gewinner dieser Debatte ist klar." - The winner of this debate is clear.).
⚠️ Note: The feminine form is die Gewinnerin (the female winner).
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 Spotlight: Der Gewinner
"Gewinner" is a masculine noun. It does not follow the n-declension, which is typical for masculine nouns ending in -er referring to people.
Declension Singular
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Who/What?) | der | Gewinner |
| Genitive (Whose?) | des | Gewinners |
| Dative (To/For Whom?) | dem | Gewinner |
| Accusative (Whom/What?) | den | Gewinner |
Declension Plural
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Gewinner |
| Genitive | der | Gewinner |
| Dative | den | Gewinnern |
| Accusative | die | Gewinner |
📝 Example Sentences
- Der Gewinner des Marathons erhielt eine Goldmedaille. (The winner of the marathon received a gold medal.)
- Das Interview des Gewinners wurde im Fernsehen gezeigt. (The winner's interview was shown on TV.)
- Wir gratulierten dem Gewinner herzlich. (We congratulated the winner warmly.)
- Alle wollten den Gewinner sehen. (Everyone wanted to see the winner.)
- Die Gewinner der Tombola wurden aufgerufen. (The winners of the raffle were called out.)
- Die Freude der Gewinner war riesig. (The winners' joy was immense.)
- Man überreichte den Gewinnern ihre Preise. (The prizes were presented to the winners.)
- Die Kameras verfolgten die Gewinner auf Schritt und Tritt. (The cameras followed the winners at every turn.)
💡 How to use "Gewinner" correctly
- Sports & Games: The most common context. Whoever wins a game or competition is der Gewinner. (Der Gewinner des Fußballspiels. - The winner of the football match.)
- Lottery & Raffles: Someone who draws the winning ticket. (Der Gewinner des Hauptpreises. - The winner of the main prize.)
- Competitions: Also used for non-sporting contests like quiz shows or beauty pageants. (Der Gewinner des Musikwettbewerbs. - The winner of the music competition.)
- Figurative Meaning: To express who benefits most from a situation or emerges victorious. (Die Umwelt ist der große Gewinner dieser Entscheidung. - The environment is the big winner of this decision. Here, 'Umwelt' (environment), which is feminine, is personified and treated as masculine in this structure. Alternatively: Der große Gewinner bei dieser Entscheidung ist die Umwelt.)
- Business/Economics: Companies or products that succeed in the market. (Dieses Smartphone ist der klare Gewinner im Test. - This smartphone is the clear winner in the test.)
Distinction: While Sieger is very similar and often used synonymously (especially in sports), Gewinner sometimes emphasizes the aspect of receiving a prize or benefit more strongly (e.g., Lottogewinner - lottery winner).
🧠 Mnemonics for "Gewinner"
Mnemonic for the Article (der):
Think of a strong male winner: DER guy who wins is DER Great Gewinner.
Mnemonic for the Meaning (winner):
It sounds like "give inner" strength to win. Or simply, someone who achieves a gain (sounds like German 'gewinn') is the Gewinner.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms for Gewinner
Synonyms (Similar Words):
- Sieger (der): Victor, winner; very similar, often interchangeable, especially in sports.
- Preisträger (der): Prizewinner; someone who receives a prize (not necessarily through direct competition).
- Champion (der): Champion; often for the best in a discipline over time or in a major tournament.
- Erstplatzierter (der): First-place finisher.
- Erfolgreicher (der): Successful person; more general.
Antonyms (Opposites):
- Verlierer (der): Loser; the direct opposite.
- Unterlegener (der): The defeated one, runner-up; person who was weaker in a fight or competition.
- Zweitplatzierter (der) / Letztplatzierter (der): Second-place / last-place finisher.
- Pechvogel (der): Unlucky person; someone often having bad luck (not necessarily in competition).
Similar-sounding words (Caution!): Gewinn (der) - the prize, the profit, the win (noun).
😄 A Little Joke
German: Fragt der Lehrer: "Fritzchen, wer war der Gewinner der Schlacht von Waterloo?" Fritzchen überlegt kurz und sagt: "Auf jeden Fall nicht Napoleon!"
English: The teacher asks: "Fritzchen, who was the winner of the Battle of Waterloo?" Fritzchen thinks for a moment and says: "Definitely not Napoleon!"
📜 Poem about the Winner
German:
Im Wettstreit, heiß und lang,
Erkämpfte er den ersten Rang.
Mit Jubel, Stolz und Glück,
Der Gewinner blickt zurück.
Die Mühe hat sich klar gelohnt,
Er wird als Bester nun gekrönt.
English:
In contest, hot and long,
He fought his way to rank number one.
With cheers, pride, and luck's embrace,
The winner looks back on the race.
The effort clearly paid its due,
As the best, he's crowned anew.
🧩 Riddle Time
German:
Ich stehe oft ganz oben auf dem Treppchen,
manchmal zieh' ich auch das große Los beim Käppchen.
Ich besiege meine Gegner, groß und klein,
wer kann das nur sein?
English:
I often stand right at the top of the podium,
sometimes I draw the lucky ticket from the cap's bottom.
I defeat my opponents, big and small,
who could I be, after all?
Solution: der Gewinner (the winner)
✨ More about "Gewinner"
- Word Formation: The word is composed of the verb stem gewinn- (from gewinnen - to win) and the suffix -er, which typically denotes an agent noun (a person performing an action).
- Feminine Form: The explicit feminine form is "die Gewinnerin" (the female winner), plural "die Gewinnerinnen".
- Usage: Frequently used in headlines and reporting on competitions and contests.
Summary: is it der, die or das Gewinner?
The noun "Gewinner" is masculine. The correct article is der Gewinner. The feminine form is "die Gewinnerin".