der
Prozentsatz
📊 What does 'der Prozentsatz' mean?
Der Prozentsatz is the German word for percentage rate or simply percentage. It refers to a numerical value that expresses a fraction of a whole (the Grundwert or base value) in hundredths. It's typically indicated with the percent sign (%).
It's a masculine noun, hence the article der.
Example: If 5 out of 100 apples are red, der Prozentsatz (the percentage) of red apples is 5%.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-tz → almost always masculine.
📚 Grammar of 'Prozentsatz' in Detail
The word 'Prozentsatz' is a masculine noun. Here is its declension:
Singular
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Subject) | der | Prozentsatz |
| Genitive (Possessive) | des | Prozentsatzes |
| Dative (Indirect Object) | dem | Prozentsatz / Prozentsatze |
| Accusative (Direct Object) | den | Prozentsatz |
Plural
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Prozentsätze |
| Genitive | der | Prozentsätze |
| Dative | den | Prozentsätzen |
| Accusative | die | Prozentsätze |
Example Sentences 📝
- Der Prozentsatz der Arbeitslosen ist gesunken.
(The percentage rate of unemployed people has decreased.) - Können Sie mir den genauen Prozentsatz nennen?
(Can you tell me the exact percentage rate?) - Mit diesem Prozentsatz sind wir nicht zufrieden.
(We are not satisfied with this percentage rate.) - Der Zinsertrag hängt vom Prozentsatz ab.
(The interest income depends on the percentage rate.) - Wir analysieren die verschiedenen Prozentsätze.
(We are analyzing the different percentage rates.)
💡 How to use 'Prozentsatz'?
The term 'Prozentsatz' is frequently used in mathematical, statistical, economic, and financial contexts.
- Mathematics/Statistics: To indicate proportions, probabilities, or changes (e.g., Wachstumsrate - growth rate - as a percentage).
- Economy/Finance: For interest (Zinssatz - interest rate), discounts, taxes (Mehrwertsteuersatz - VAT rate), profit margins, etc.
- Everyday life: Surveys (e.g., approval ratings in percent), nutritional information, election results.
A distinction is often made between Prozentsatz (the number before the % sign, e.g., 5) and the Prozentwert (the actual value corresponding to this share, e.g., 5 apples out of 100).
⚠️ Don't confuse 'Prozentsatz' with 'Prozentpunkt' (percentage point). A change from 5% to 6% is an increase of one Prozentpunkt, but an increase of 20 Prozent (since 1 is one-fifth of 5).
🧠 Mnemonics to Remember
For the article (der): Think of "der Satz" (the sentence, the rate). A Prozentsatz is a specific kind of 'rate' or 'set figure', like der Zinssatz (the interest rate). And 'Satz' is masculine: der Satz.
For the meaning: Break it down: "Prozent-Satz". It's a Satz (a rate, a share) given in Prozent (percent, per hundred). Split the word, and the meaning becomes clear!
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- Prozentanteil: (Percentage share) Very similar, emphasizes the share of the whole.
- Rate: (Rate) More general, can also refer to non-percentage ratios (e.g., Geburtenrate - birth rate), but often used synonymously (e.g., Wachstumsrate - growth rate).
- Anteil (in Prozent): (Share in percent) A descriptive phrase.
- Quote: (Quota, rate) Similar, often used in social or economic contexts (e.g., Frauenquote - female quota).
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- Absolutwert / Absolute Zahl: (Absolute value / Absolute number) Indicates a fixed amount, not a proportion.
- Grundwert: (Base value) The whole (100%) from which the percentage is calculated.
- Prozentwert: (Percentage value) The concrete value corresponding to the percentage rate (e.g., 10 euros is 10% of 100 euros; 10% = Prozentsatz, 10 euros = Prozentwert, 100 euros = Grundwert).
Similar but different words
- Prozentpunkt: (Percentage point) Refers to the absolute difference between two percentage rates (see Usage notes ⚠️).
😄 A Little Joke
Warum sind Mathematiker schlecht im Daten? Weil sie immer nur den Prozentsatz kennen, aber nie die ganze Geschichte!
(Why are mathematicians bad at dating? Because they only ever know the percentage rate, but never the whole story!)
📜 Poem about Prozentsatz
Von Hundert ein Teil, ganz klein oder groß,
Der Prozentsatz zeigt es, gnadenlos.
Beim Zins, beim Rabatt, bei Steuer und Lohn,
er hilft uns zu rechnen, das ist sein Thron.
Ein Satz mit Prozent, maskulin und klar,
in Mathe und Wirtschaft ist er der Star.
(A part of one hundred, tiny or grand,
The percentage rate shows it, across the land.
With interest, discounts, taxes and pay,
it helps calculation, hip hip hooray.
A 'Satz' with percent, masculine and clear,
In math and in business, it's held ever so dear.)
❓ Riddle Time
Ich zeige den Anteil, von Hundert gezählt,
mit einem Symbol (%) oft gewählt.
Ich bin eine Rate, ein Maß, eine Zahl,
in Finanzen und Statistik überall.
Was bin ich?
... Der Prozentsatz
(I show the proportion, counted per hundred,
With a symbol (%) often fronted.
I am a rate, a measure, a figure,
In finance and statistics, ever bigger.
What am I?
... The percentage rate / Der Prozentsatz)
🧩 More about the Word
Word Composition
The word 'Prozentsatz' is a compound noun, composed of:
- Prozent: From Italian per cento or Latin pro centum, meaning "per hundred".
- Satz: Here in the sense of rate, fee, set share (as in Zinssatz - interest rate, Steuersatz - tax rate).
So, it literally describes a 'rate (Satz) measured per hundred (Prozent)'.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Prozentsatz?
The word 'Prozentsatz' is always masculine. The correct article is der: der Prozentsatz, des Prozentsatzes (genitive singular), die Prozentsätze (plural).