der
Nigerianer
🌍 What does "der Nigerianer" mean?
The term der Nigerianer refers to a male person who holds Nigerian citizenship or originates from Nigeria. It is the masculine form for designating people from this West African country.
- Origin: Derived from the country name Nigeria.
- Feminine form: The feminine form is die Nigerianerin (the Nigerian woman/girl).
- Adjective: The corresponding adjective is nigerianisch (Nigerian), e.g., die nigerianische Kultur (the Nigerian culture).
🚨 Caution: As with all terms denoting nationality, one should be mindful to avoid generalizations and use the term respectfully.
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 and Declension of "der Nigerianer"
"Der Nigerianer" is a masculine noun and belongs to the weak declension (N-Deklination). This means it adds the ending -n in all cases except the nominative singular.
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | Nigerianer |
| Genitive | des | Nigerianern |
| Dative | dem | Nigerianern |
| Accusative | den | Nigerianern |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Nigerianer |
| Genitive | der | Nigerianer |
| Dative | den | Nigerianern |
| Accusative | die | Nigerianer |
📝 Example Sentences
- Der Nigerianer besucht seine Familie in Lagos. (The Nigerian man visits his family in Lagos.)
- Das ist das Auto des Nigerianern. (That is the Nigerian man's car.)
- Ich gebe dem Nigerianern die Unterlagen. (I give the documents to the Nigerian man.)
- Wir haben den Nigerianern gestern getroffen. (We met the Nigerian man yesterday.)
- Viele Nigerianer leben im Ausland. (Many Nigerians live abroad.)
- Die Kultur der Nigerianer ist sehr vielfältig. (The culture of the Nigerians is very diverse.)
- Wir sprachen mit den Nigerianern über ihre Heimat. (We spoke with the Nigerians about their homeland.)
- Die Polizei befragte die Nigerianer. (The police questioned the Nigerians.)
🗣️ Everyday Usage
The term "der Nigerianer" is used to refer to a male person from Nigeria. It is used in news reports, official documents, conversations about origin or nationality, and general discussions.
- Context: Mostly used when the origin or nationality is relevant.
- Distinction: "Nigerianisch" is the adjective (e.g., nigerianisches Essen - Nigerian food), "der Nigerianer" is the noun for a male person, and "die Nigerianerin" is the noun for a female person.
- Plural: The plural "die Nigerianer" can refer to a group of men or a mixed group. For a group consisting exclusively of women, use "die Nigerianerinnen".
🧠 Mnemonics
Article Mnemonic: Many masculine nationality nouns ending in -er are masculine in German: der Deutscher, der Italiener, der Spanier... and also der Nigerianer. Think: "He is a Nigerianer." (Er ist ein Nigerianer.)
Meaning Mnemonic: The word contains the country name: Nigerianer. So, it's someone from Nigeria.
N-Declension Mnemonic: Imagine the Nigerianer wearing a big 'N' on his shirt, reminding him that he (almost) always needs an 'n' at the end when not in the nominative case: "I see den Nigerianern", "I help dem Nigerianern".
↔️ Synonyms & Antonyms
👍 Synonyms
- Mann aus Nigeria (Man from Nigeria)
- Person nigerianischer Herkunft/Staatsangehörigkeit (männlich) (Person of Nigerian origin/nationality (male))
(There are no direct, commonly used single-word synonyms.)
👎 Antonyms
- Nicht-Nigerianer (Non-Nigerian (male))
- Ausländer (Foreigner (from a Nigerian perspective, male))
- Einheimischer (Local/Native (from a non-Nigerian perspective, male))
🔄 Related Terms
- Die Nigerianerin: Feminine form (the Nigerian woman/girl).
- Nigerianisch: The adjective (e.g., die nigerianische Flagge - the Nigerian flag).
- Nigeria: The country itself.
😄 A Little Joke
DE: Frage: Warum hat der nigerianische Koch immer gute Laune?
Antwort: Weil er immer weiß, wie man die Stimmung aufpeppert! 😉
EN: Question: Why is the Nigerian chef always in a good mood?
Answer: Because he always knows how to spice things up! 😉 (Refers to the often spicy Nigerian cuisine)
📜 Poem about the Nigerianer
DE:
Aus Westafrika, stolz und klar,
kommt der Nigerianer, Jahr für Jahr.
Mit reicher Kultur, so bunt und breit,
bringt er Geschichten aus seiner Zeit.
Ob in Lagos, Abuja, fern oder nah,
sein Herz schlägt für Nigeria.
EN:
From West Africa, proud and clear,
comes the Nigerian man, year after year.
With rich culture, so colorful and wide,
he brings stories from his time inside.
Whether in Lagos, Abuja, far or near,
his heart beats for Nigeria, held so dear.
❓ Riddle
DE:
Ich komme aus dem Land mit der grünen und weißen Flagge,
Nollywood ist dort bekannt, keine Frage.
Bin ich ein Mann von dort, ein Sohn,
wie nennt man mich auf Deutsch? Rate schon!
EN:
I come from the land with the green and white flag,
Nollywood is famous there, it's no drag.
If I am a man from there, a son,
what am I called in German? Guess, come on!
Solution: der Nigerianer
💡 Other Information
Word Formation:
The word "Nigerianer" is derived from the country name "Nigeria" using the suffix "-aner", which is often used to form demonyms (names for inhabitants of a place), e.g., Amerikaner (American), Mexikaner (Mexican). The masculine form here ends in -er.
Cultural Note:
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with enormous ethnic and cultural diversity. The term "Nigerianer" encompasses this diversity under a single national identity.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Nigerianer?
The word "Nigerianer" refers to a male person from Nigeria and is always masculine. The correct article is der. It follows the N-declension (e.g., des Nigerianern, dem Nigerianern, den Nigerianern).