die
Rate
💰 What does "die Rate" mean?
The German word die Rate primarily has two meanings:
- Installment / Payment (Finance): A fixed amount of money paid at regular intervals (e.g., monthly) to pay off a debt or purchase a larger item. This is the most common meaning in everyday life.
- Rate / Ratio / Speed (Statistics, Science): A measure indicating how often an event occurs within a specific period or in relation to a specific quantity. Examples include Geburtenrate (birth rate), Wachstumsrate (growth rate), or Fehlerrate (error rate).
Less commonly and rather archaically, "die Rate" can also refer to advice or council, derived from the verb "raten". However, this usage is uncommon in modern German.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-e/-ee → almost always feminine.
There are many -e nouns, many of which are feminine, but there are also some important exceptions.
📊 Grammar of "die Rate" in Detail
Die Rate is a feminine noun. Here are the declension tables:
Singular Declension
| Case | Definite Article | Indefinite Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Who/What?) | die | eine | Rate |
| Genitive (Whose?) | der | einer | Rate |
| Dative (To whom?) | der | einer | Rate |
| Accusative (Whom/What?) | die | eine | Rate |
Plural Declension
| Case | Definite Article | Indefinite Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | keine / - | Raten |
| Genitive | der | keiner / - | Raten |
| Dative | den | keinen / - | Raten |
| Accusative | die | keine / - | Raten |
Example Sentences 📖
- Meaning 'Installment': "Ich zahle das Auto in monatlichen Raten ab."
(I pay off the car in monthly installments.) - Meaning 'Installment': "Die erste Rate ist nächsten Monat fällig."
(The first installment is due next month.) - Meaning 'Rate/Ratio': "Die Arbeitslosenrate ist leicht gesunken."
(The unemployment rate has slightly decreased.) - Meaning 'Rate/Ratio': "Wir müssen die Produktionsrate erhöhen."
(We need to increase the production rate.)
💡 How to use "die Rate"?
The usage of die Rate heavily depends on the context:
- In Finance & Commerce: Here, "die Rate" almost always refers to an installment. Common phrases include "in Raten zahlen" (to pay in installments), "die Raten pünktlich überweisen" (to transfer the installments on time), "hohe/niedrige Raten" (high/low installments). A related concept is the "Ratenkredit" (installment loan).
- In Statistics, Science & Economic News: Here, "die Rate" means a rate or ratio. It's often used in compound words, such as Wachstumsrate (growth rate), Inflationsrate (inflation rate), Geburtenrate (birth rate), Fehlerrate (error rate), Herzfrequenzrate (heart rate/pulse). It describes the frequency or change of something over time or relative to a population.
⚠️ It's crucial to distinguish between the two meanings, even though they share the same word and article. The context usually makes the intended meaning clear.
🧠 Mnemonics for "die Rate"
Article Mnemonic: Think of 'the' monthly payment or 'the' statistical figure. These concepts often feel abstract or financial, and many such abstract or measurement nouns in German are feminine (like die Rechnung - the bill, die Statistik - the statistics, die Zahl - the number). Imagine 'the' (female) bank teller explaining 'die' Raten (the installments) to you.
Meaning Mnemonic:
1. Installment: You have to 'rate' your budget carefully to afford the monthly Rate (installment).
2. Statistical Rate: Think of an approval 'rating' or a heart 'rate' monitor – die Rate often gives a measurement or 'rating' of how quickly something is happening or changing.
↔️ Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar Words)
- For Installment: die Teilzahlung, die Abzahlung, der Abschlag, die Annuität (especially for loans)
- For Rate/Ratio/Speed: die Quote (quota, rate), das Verhältnis (ratio), die Frequenz (frequency), die Häufigkeit (frequency), die Geschwindigkeit (speed), der Prozentsatz (percentage) (depending on context)
Antonyms (Opposites)
- For Installment: die Gesamtzahlung (total payment), die Einmalzahlung (lump-sum payment), die Barzahlung (cash payment)
- For Rate/Ratio/Speed: der Stillstand (standstill, for speed), die Gesamtzahl (total number, instead of a rate/quota)
⚠️ Similar Words
- Der Rat: Masculine. Means advice or council (e.g., city council). Comes from the verb "raten" (to advise).
- Raten (Verb): Means to guess or to advise.
😄 A Little Joke
Warum ist ein Ratenkredit wie ein guter Freund?
Er ist immer da, wenn du ihn brauchst – und erinnert dich jeden Monat daran!
(Why is an installment loan like a good friend?
It's always there when you need it – and reminds you about it every month!)
📜 A Little Poem
Ob Zinseszins, ob Wachstumsfahrt,
ob Schuldenlast, ganz eig'ner Art.
Mal hoch, mal tief, mal schnell, mal sacht,
die Rate wird stets mitbedacht.
Monat für Monat, Jahr für Jahr,
macht sie die Zahlen deutlich klar.
(Whether compound interest, or growth's ride,
Whether debt burden, of its own kind inside.
Sometimes high, low, fast, or slight,
the rate is always kept in sight.
Month by month, year by year,
it makes the numbers truly clear.)
🧩 Little Riddle
Ich komme oft in Zahlen vor,
mal klein, mal groß, schlag ich ein Tor.
Beim Kredit kennst du mich gut,
monatlich zahlst du mir Tribut.
In der Statistik zeig ich an,
wie schnell was wächst, seit dann und wann.
Was bin ich?
(I often appear in numbers,
Sometimes small, sometimes large, I score a goal.
With loans, you know me well,
Monthly, you pay tribute to me.
In statistics, I show
how fast something grows, since then and now.
What am I?)
(Solution: die Rate)
🧐 Other Information
Word Formation & Origin: The word "Rate" meaning installment is borrowed from Italian (rata) or Middle Latin (rata (pars) - "calculated part"). The meaning of rate/ratio developed later in German, possibly influenced by the English word "rate". Interestingly, it's not directly related to the German verb "raten" (to advise/guess) or the noun "der Rat" (advice/council), despite the similarity.
Compounds: "Rate" is very productive in forming compound words, especially in finance and statistics: Ratenzahlung (installment payment), Ratenkredit (installment loan), Sparrate (savings rate), Geburtenrate (birth rate), Sterberate (death rate), Inflationsrate (inflation rate), Fehlerrate (error rate), Wachstumsrate (growth rate), Klickrate (click-through rate), etc.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Rate?
The German word Rate is feminine: die Rate. Its main meanings are installment or rate/ratio.