der  Unternehmer

A2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ʊntɐˈneːmɐ/

💡 What does "der Unternehmer" mean?

Der Unternehmer refers to a male person who founds, owns, or leads a company (ein Unternehmen) and bears entrepreneurial risk. It's someone who identifies and utilizes business opportunities to strive for economic success.

• Meaning 1: A person who runs their own business, often with an innovative character (Entrepreneur).
• Meaning 2: The owner or manager of a company (Business Owner, Manager).

🚨 Attention: The female form is die Unternehmerin.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar in Detail: Der Unternehmer

"Der Unternehmer" is a masculine noun. It belongs to the N-Deklination (n-declension), which means it takes the ending "-en" in all cases except the nominative singular.

Example Sentences

1. Der Unternehmer entwickelte eine innovative App.
   (The entrepreneur developed an innovative app.)
2. Wir trafen den Unternehmer auf der Messe.
   (We met the entrepreneur at the trade fair.)
3. Ich sprach mit dem Unternehmer über seine Geschäftsidee.
   (I spoke with the entrepreneur about his business idea.)
4. Das Büro des Unternehmers ist sehr modern.
   (The entrepreneur's office is very modern.)
5. Viele junge Unternehmer waren bei der Konferenz.
   (Many young entrepreneurs were at the conference.)
6. Die Regierung unterstützt die Unternehmer mit Förderprogrammen.
   (The government supports the entrepreneurs with funding programs.)
7. Man sollte den Unternehmern mehr Gehör schenken.
   (One should listen more to the entrepreneurs.)
8. Die Risiken der Unternehmer sind oft hoch.
   (The entrepreneurs' risks are often high.)

🚀 When to use "der Unternehmer"?

The term Unternehmer is mainly used in an economic context. It emphasizes the initiative, risk, and often the innovative aspect of a person running a business.

• Typical Contexts: Business news, start-up scene, discussions about self-employment, corporate management.
• Differentiation:
  • Geschäftsmann/Geschäftsfrau (businessman/businesswoman): A more general term for someone active in business, not necessarily as an owner or founder.
  • Selbstständiger/Selbstständige (self-employed person): Someone who is not employed but doesn't necessarily manage a large company or have many employees (e.g., freelancers). An Unternehmer is a type of Selbstständiger, but often with a larger scale or growth intention.
• Connotation: Often positively associated with courage, vision, and success, but also with risk and responsibility.

🧠 Memory Aids

1. Article Aid: Remember that someone who *under*takes something big is often seen as a leader, historically male in language derivation -> der Unternehmer. (Of course, die Unternehmerin exists!)
2. Meaning Aid: An Unternehmer is someone who unternimmt (undertakes/starts) something (a business) and *nimmt* (takes) a reward (or profit) for it.
3. N-Declension Aid: Imagine the Unternehmer is so busy that he always adds a tired '-en' at the end of the word (except when he's introduced initially: *der Unternehmer*).

🔄 Synonyms and Antonyms

⚠️ Confusion risk: Don't confuse with Untermieter (subtenant) or Aufnehmer (receiver).

😄 A Little Joke

Ein Unternehmer fragt seinen Freund: "Du, wie schaffst du es, immer so entspannt zu sein?"
Antwortet der Freund: "Ganz einfach, ich verschiebe alle Probleme auf morgen."
"Und wenn du dann aufwachst?"
"Dann verschiebe ich sie wieder auf morgen!"

Translation:
An entrepreneur asks his friend: "Hey, how do you manage to always be so relaxed?"
The friend replies: "Easy, I postpone all my problems until tomorrow."
"And when you wake up then?"
"Then I postpone them until tomorrow again!"

📜 Poem about the Entrepreneur

Der Unternehmer, kühn und wach,
Liegt selten nur entspannt im Fach.
Mit Plan und Mut, oft ganz allein,
Trägt Risiko auf seinem Bein.
Er schafft, er wirkt, er baut was auf,
Nimmt Hürden gern in Kauf.
Für Fortschritt und für neues Streben,
Will er der Wirtschaft Impulse geben.

Translation:
The entrepreneur, bold and awake,
Rarely lies relaxed in their make.
With plan and courage, often alone,
Carries risk upon their bone.
They create, they act, they build anew,
Taking hurdles in their view.
For progress and for striving new,
Wanting to give the economy its cue.

❓ A Little Riddle

Ich trage das Risiko, ganz offiziell,
Gründe Firmen, handle schnell.
Ich schaffe Jobs, hab' Visionen klar,
Bin für mein Geschäft stets da.

Wer bin ich?

Translation:
I bear the risk, quite officially,
Found companies, act quickly.
I create jobs, have clear visions, you see,
Am always there for my company.

Who am I?
(Answer: der Unternehmer / the entrepreneur)

🧩 More To Know

• Word Formation: The word is composed of the prefix "unter-" (in the sense of undertaking, beginning something) and the verb "nehmen" (to take). An Unternehmer is thus someone who "takes something into their hands," starts something.
• Related Terms:
  • das Unternehmen: The company, the business itself.
  • unternehmerisch: Adjective (e.g., unternehmerisches Denken - entrepreneurial thinking).
  • Unternehmertum: The concept of founding and running businesses (Entrepreneurship).
  • die Unternehmerin: Feminine form.
• Cultural Significance: Entrepreneurship has a long tradition in Germany (e.g., family businesses - Familienunternehmen), but is also gaining new momentum through the start-up culture.