die
Personalie
📖 What does 'die Personalie' mean?
Die Personalie (feminine noun, article 'die') refers to a single personal detail or piece of information about a person (e.g., name, age, address, profession). It's a rather formal term.
Very often, the word is used in the plural: die Personalien. This then refers to the complete set of personal data used for identification.
🚨 Attention: It's almost always used in the plural (`die Personalien`) when referring to the complete set of data (e.g., during an ID check). The singular `die Personalie` refers to one specific detail.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-ie → almost always feminine.
-e/-ee → almost always feminine.
There are many -e nouns, many of which are feminine, but there are also some important exceptions.
🧐 Grammar and Declension of 'Personalie'
`Personalie` is a feminine noun, so its article is `die`.
Singular
| Case | Article | Noun | (English equivalent) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative (1st) | die | Personalie | the personal detail |
| Genitive (2nd) | der | Personalie | of the personal detail |
| Dative (3rd) | der | Personalie | to/for the personal detail |
| Accusative (4th) | die | Personalie | the personal detail |
Plural
| Case | Article | Noun | (English equivalent) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative (1st) | die | Personalien | the personal details |
| Genitive (2nd) | der | Personalien | of the personal details |
| Dative (3rd) | den | Personalien | to/for the personal details |
| Accusative (4th) | die | Personalien | the personal details |
📝 Example Sentences
- Der Polizist bat um die Personalien des Fahrers.
(The police officer asked for the driver's personal details.) - Bitte tragen Sie Ihre Personalien in das Formular ein.
(Please enter your personal details into the form.) - Diese eine Personalie, nämlich der Geburtsort, fehlte noch.
(This one personal detail, namely the place of birth, was still missing.) - Die Diskussion drehte sich weniger um die Sache als um Personalien.
(The discussion was less about the issue and more about individuals/personal matters.)
🗣️ How is 'die Personalie' used?
The term Personalie is mainly used in formal or official contexts:
- Authorities and Administration: When recording data by police, government offices, or courts (Personalien aufnehmen - to take down personal details).
- Applications and Work: In the context of CVs/resumes or personnel files (`Personalakten`).
- Journalism and Politics: Sometimes used to describe a personnel decision or a matter concerning a specific person (e.g., "eine heikle Personalie" - a sensitive personnel matter).
In everyday language, people are more likely to say persönliche Daten (personal data), Angaben zur Person (information about the person), or simply Name und Adresse (name and address).
The plural form Personalien is significantly more common than the singular `die Personalie`.
🧠 Mnemonics
Article: Think of 'die Person' (the person). `Personalie` is derived from this and keeps the feminine article `die`. Imagine asking *HER* (die) for her personal details.
Meaning: `Personalie` sounds like 'personal'. It refers to personal details. Imagine an official saying, "Your `Personalien`, please!" asking for all your personal info.
↔️ Synonyms & Similar Words
Synonyms (similar meaning):
Antonyms (opposite meaning):
Direct antonyms are uncommon. Depending on context, you might contrast with:
- `Allgemeinheit` (generality)
- `Anonymität` (anonymity)
- `Sachfrage` (factual issue, as opposed to a personal one)
⚠️ Similar but different words:
- Das Personal: staff, employees of a company.
- Persönlichkeit: personality, character of a person.
😄 A Little Joke
Warum hat der Computer seine Personalien vergessen?
(Why did the computer forget its personal details?)
Er hatte einen Festplattencrash und litt unter Datenverlust!
(It had a hard drive crash and suffered from data loss!)
📜 Poem about Personalie
Name, Datum, Ort und Zeit,
(Name, date, place and time,)
die Personalien steh'n bereit.
(the personal details stand ready.)
Auf dem Amt, bei der Kontroll',
(At the office, during the check,)
spielt dies Detail 'ne große Roll'.
(this detail plays a big role.)
Ein jedes Datum, jede Zahl,
(Every date, every number,)
ist eine Personalie, ganz legal.
(is a personal detail, quite legal.)
Im Plural meistens, das ist klar,
(Mostly in plural, that is clear,)
so kennt man dich, Jahr für Jahr.
(that's how they know you, year after year.)
🧩 Riddle
Ich bin ein Detail, ganz klein,
(I am a detail, very small,)
doch ohne mich kommst du nicht rein.
(but without me, you can't get in at all.)
Im Plural werd' ich oft gefragt,
(In plural, I am often asked,)
wenn man nach deinem Namen jagt.
(when they are hunting for your name, tasked.)
Auf Ämtern bin ich gern gesehen,
(In offices, I'm gladly seen,)
um deine Identität zu verstehen.
(to understand your identity keen.)
Was bin ich? / What am I?
(Solution: Die Personalie / Die Personalien - The personal detail / The personal details)
💡 Other Interesting Facts
Word Formation (Wortbildung): The word `Personalie` derives from the adjective `personal` (personal), which in turn comes from the Latin `personalis` (personal) and `persona` (mask, role, person).
Connotation: The term often carries a slightly bureaucratic or official connotation.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Personalie?
The word 'Personalie' is feminine, so the correct article is die Personalie. It refers to a single personal detail and is frequently used in the plural form (`die Personalien`) to mean the entirety of someone's personal data, especially in formal or official contexts.