der  Sammler

B1

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈzamləɐ̯/

🧐 What does "der Sammler" mean?

Der Sammler is a masculine noun referring to a male person who systematically collects certain items, often out of personal interest, as a hobby, or as an investment.

• Hobby Collector: Someone who collects out of passion (e.g., Briefmarken - stamps, Münzen - coins, Kunst - art, Figuren - figures).
• Job Title (rare): In certain contexts, it can also refer to someone who collects professionally (e.g., data, samples). Historically also used in "Jäger und Sammler" (hunter-gatherers).
• Figurative Meaning: Sometimes the term is used for devices or components that accumulate something (e.g., a collector in technology), but this is less common for *der Sammler* as a person.

The feminine form is die Sammlerin.

🚨 Be sure to use the correct article "der" as it refers to a male person or is used generically (in the generic masculine).

Article rules for der, die, and das

📐 Grammar Spotlight: Der Sammler

"Der Sammler" is a masculine noun. Here is its declension:

Example Sentences:

• Der Sammler präsentierte stolz seine Münzsammlung. (The collector proudly presented his coin collection.)
• Das Museum erhielt eine Schenkung aus dem Nachlass des Sammlers. (The museum received a donation from the collector's estate.)
• Ich habe dem Sammler ein seltenes Stück angeboten. (I offered the collector a rare piece.)
• Kennst du den Sammler, der auf Autogramme spezialisiert ist? (Do you know the collector who specializes in autographs?)
• Die Sammler treffen sich regelmäßig auf Tauschbörsen. (The collectors meet regularly at swap meets.)

💡 How "der Sammler" is used

The term "Sammler" is mostly used in the context of hobbies and passions. It describes a person who actively gathers objects of a specific category, often over a long period.

• Typical Collecting Areas: Briefmarken (stamps - Briefmarkensammler), Münzen (coins - Münzsammler), Kunst (art - Kunstsammler), antiques, books, records, model trains, action figures, etc.
• Motivation: Motivation can vary: enjoyment of the object, historical significance, completing the collection, potential increase in value, scientific interest.
• Distinction: A *Sammler* differs from someone who just occasionally keeps things. The *Sammler* proceeds systematically and often strives for completeness or special items.
• Connotation: The word usually has a neutral to positive connotation, but can be used ironically if someone hoards things indiscriminately (though "Messie" - hoarder - would be more accurate then).
• Historical/Anthropological: In the expression "Jäger und Sammler" (hunter-gatherers), it refers to early human societies.

🧠 Mnemonics to Remember

Remembering the Article "der":

Think of a typical male collector – perhaps a gentleman (masculine -> der) carefully examining his stamps. THAT man (der Mann) is der Sammler.

Remembering the Meaning "Collector":

The word comes from "sammeln" (to collect/gather). A *Sammler* does exactly that: he collects. Imagine him gathering things, putting them into a *sample* bag or display case. Who samples or gathers? The *Sammler*!

🔄 Similar and Opposite Terms

Related Terms:

• sammeln (verb): to collect, to gather.
• die Sammlung (noun, feminine): the collection, the result of collecting.
• das Sammelstück (noun, neuter): a collectible item, a single piece in a collection.

😄 A Little Collector Joke

Fragt ein Freund den anderen: "Warum sammelst du eigentlich leere Flaschen?"
Antwortet der Sammler: "Na, für volle war kein Platz mehr!"

(A friend asks another: "Why do you collect empty bottles?"
The collector replies: "Well, there was no more room for full ones!")

📜 A Poem about the Sammler

Der Sammler streift durch Raum und Zeit,
Für ihn ist kein Weg zu weit.
Ob Münze alt, ob Marke fein,
Sein Herz schlägt für den Augenschein.

Er sucht, er tauscht, er kauft, er hegt,
Was andre achtlos fortgelegt.
In Vitrinen, wohl sortiert,
Wird seine Leidenschaft zelebriert.

(The collector roams through space and time,
For him, no path's too steep to climb.
Whether coin is old or stamp is fine,
His heart beats for the visual sign.)

(He seeks, he swaps, he buys, he tends,
What others carelessly transcends.
In showcases, well-sorted, neat,
His passion's celebrated, bittersweet.)

🧩 Who am I? A Riddle

Ich trage Schätze Stück für Stück zusammen,
Entfache für Objekte Liebesflammen.
Ob alt, ob neu, ob groß, ob klein,
Ich ordne sie in Reih' und Glied fein ein.
Mein Reich ist oft ein Schrank, ein Album, ein Regal,
Die Mehrzahl meiner Schätze ist für mich ideal.

Wer bin ich? Lösung: Der Sammler

(I gather treasures piece by piece,
Igniting love for objects, finding peace.
Whether old or new, or large or small,
I neatly line them up standing tall.
My realm is often a cabinet, album, or shelf,
The majority of my treasures are ideal for myself.)

(Who am I?) (Answer: The Collector / Der Sammler)

✨ Other Interesting Aspects

Word Composition:

The word "Sammler" is derived from the verb "sammeln" (to collect, to gather). The suffix "-er" is frequently used in German to form a noun from a verb, indicating a person who performs that action (e.g., backen - to bake -> der Bäcker - the baker; lehren - to teach -> der Lehrer - the teacher).

Specific Types of Collectors:

There are countless specific terms, often formed as compound nouns:

• Briefmarken (stamps) + Sammler = Briefmarkensammler (stamp collector)
• Münzen (coins) + Sammler = Münzsammler (coin collector)
• Kunst (art) + Sammler = Kunstsammler (art collector)
• Autogramme (autographs) + Sammler = Autogrammsammler (autograph collector)