der  Mann

A1

Estimated CEFR level.

/man/

👨 What does "der Mann" mean?

The word der Mann (plural: die Männer) primarily refers to an adult male person in German. It's one of the most fundamental nouns for designating people.

• Main meaning: Adult human of the male sex. Example: Ein Mann stand an der Bushaltestelle. (A man was standing at the bus stop.)
• Secondary meaning: Husband. Example: Sie stellte ihren Mann vor. (She introduced her husband.)
• General meaning: Sometimes used to refer to mankind or a person in general (dated or in fixed expressions like "Jedermann" - everyone).
• Military/Team: Can also refer to a person as part of a group or team (e.g., "Wir brauchen noch einen Mann." - We still need one man/person.).

🚨 Attention: The word "man" (lowercase) is a pronoun meaning "one" or "you" (in a general sense), it's not the same as "der Mann"!

Article rules for der, die, and das

📊 Grammar of "der Mann": Declension in Detail

"Mann" is a masculine noun and uses the article der. It follows the strong declension pattern.

📖 Example Sentences

1. Nominative: Der Mann liest die Zeitung. (The man is reading the newspaper.)
2. Genitive: Das Auto des Mannes ist rot. (The man's car is red.)
3. Dative: Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch. (I give the book to the man.)
4. Accusative: Siehst du den Mann dort drüben? (Do you see the man over there?)
5. Plural Nominative: Die Männer spielen Fußball. (The men are playing football.)
6. Plural Dative: Er hilft den Männern bei der Arbeit. (He helps the men with the work.)

🗣️ How to use "der Mann"?

"Der Mann" is a very commonly used word. Here are some typical contexts:

• Everyday language: For simply referring to a male person. (Da kommt ein Mann. - There comes a man.)
• Relationships: As a synonym for husband. (Mein Mann ist verreist. - My husband is away.)
• Contrast: In contrast to "die Frau" (the woman). (Männer und Frauen... - Men and women...)
• Exclamations: In exclamations like "Mannomann!" or "Mann, oh Mann!" (expressing surprise, annoyance, or resignation - like "Man oh man!").
• Generalization (rare): In phrases like "Jedermann" (everybody) or "auf Mann und Maus" (literally 'on man and mouse', meaning 'with all hands', often used for sinking ships).
• Job titles: Often part of job titles (e.g., Kaufmann - merchant, Zimmermann - carpenter, Feuerwehrmann - firefighter), even though these professions are now practiced by all genders.

⚠️ In modern language use, there's often an effort to find gender-neutral formulations (e.g., "Lehrkraft" instead of "Lehrer/Lehrerin" - teacher, "Feuerwehrleute" instead of "Feuerwehrmänner" - firefighters), but "der Mann" to refer to a specific male person remains standard.

💡 Mnemonics for "der Mann"

Article Mnemonic: Think of the strong article der. Men are often stereotypically seen as 'strong' or 'definite'. So, it's der definite, strong Mann.

Meaning Mnemonic: It sounds very similar to the English word "man", making the main meaning easy to remember. Just associate the German sound Mann with the English concept man.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

Similar but misleading words:

• man: The impersonal pronoun (one, you). Note the lowercase spelling!

😂 A Little Joke

German: Fragt ein Mann den anderen: "Du, wie schaffst du es bloß, dass deine Frau immer so lieb zu dir ist?" Antwortet der andere: "Ganz einfach! Ich sage ihr jeden Morgen, wie toll sie aussieht. Es kostet nichts und das Risiko, dass es stimmt, besteht ja immer!"

English: One man asks another: "Hey, how do you manage to keep your wife so nice to you all the time?" The other replies: "Easy! Every morning, I tell her how great she looks. It costs nothing, and there's always the risk that it might actually be true!"

📜 Poem about "der Mann"

German:
Ein Mann, mal stark, mal leise,
\geht seine eig'ne Lebensreise.
\Mal Herr, mal Kerl, mal Ehemann,
\zieht er die Welt in seinen Bann.
\Mit Bart, mit Charme, mit Witz und Kraft,
\hat er schon manches Werk geschafft.
\Von Adam einst bis heute hier,
\der Mann, ein Teil von uns und mir.

English:
A man, sometimes strong, sometimes quiet,
ravels his own journey of life.
\Sometimes gentleman, fellow, or husband,
\he casts his spell upon the world.
\With beard, with charm, with wit and might,
\he has accomplished many a feat.
\From Adam once until today,
he man, a part of us and me.

❓ Little Riddle

German:
Ich trage Hosen, manchmal Bart,
in oft von starker, ernster Art.
\Ich kann ein Vater oder Gatte sein,
\wer bin ich wohl, so ganz allgemein?

English:
I wear trousers, sometimes a beard,
\am often of a strong, serious sort.
\I can be a father or a husband,
\who am I, just generally?

Solution: der Mann (the man)

ℹ️ Interesting Facts

Word Compounds: "Mann" is part of many compound words in German. Examples:

• Professions: Kaufmann (merchant), Zimmermann (carpenter), Seemann (sailor), Feuerwehrmann (firefighter)
• Figures: Schneemann (snowman), Hampelmann (jumping jack), Weihnachtsmann (Santa Claus / Father Christmas)
• Concepts: Mannschaft (team, crew), Männlichkeit (masculinity)

Etymology: The word "Mann" has Germanic roots and is related to the English "man". It originally meant simply "human" or "person", similar to the Latin "homo".