die
Rente
💰 What does "die Rente" mean?
The German word die Rente primarily has two meanings:
- Pension/Retirement Income: This is the most common meaning. Die Rente refers to the regular payment someone receives after finishing their professional life, usually from the statutory pension insurance (gesetzliche Rentenversicherung), an occupational pension scheme (betriebliche Altersversorgung), or private savings (private Vorsorge). It's associated with retirement (Ruhestand). 👵👴
- Regular Income/Annuity: Die Rente can also refer to a regular income generated from invested capital (e.g., interest - Zinsen, dividends - Dividenden) or property (e.g., rental income - Mieteinnahmen), regardless of age or working life. 📈
As it only uses the article die, the gender is unambiguously feminine.
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 in Detail: die Rente
The noun "Rente" is feminine. Therefore, the article is always die.
Declension
| Case | Definite Article | Indefinite Article |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die Rente | eine Rente |
| Genitive | der Rente | einer Rente |
| Dative | der Rente | einer Rente |
| Accusative | die Rente | eine Rente |
| Case | Definite Article | Indefinite Article |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die Renten | Renten |
| Genitive | der Renten | Renten |
| Dative | den Renten | Renten |
| Accusative | die Renten | Renten |
Example Sentences
- Nach 45 Arbeitsjahren freut sich Herr Müller auf seine wohlverdiente Rente.
(After 45 years of work, Mr. Müller is looking forward to his well-deserved pension.) - Die Höhe der Rente hängt von den eingezahlten Beiträgen ab.
(The amount of the pension depends on the contributions paid in.) - Viele Menschen sorgen privat für die Rente vor.
(Many people make private provisions for retirement.) - Er bezieht neben seinem Gehalt auch eine kleine Rente aus einer Erbschaft.
(Besides his salary, he also receives a small income/annuity from an inheritance. - Meaning 2) - Die Auszahlung der Renten erfolgt monatlich.
(The payment of the pensions takes place monthly.)
🗣️ How to use "die Rente"?
Die Rente is mostly used in the context of age, retirement, and social security.
- In Rente gehen/sein: A very common phrase meaning 'to retire' or 'to be retired'. Example: "Nächstes Jahr gehe ich in Rente." (Next year I will retire.) or "Meine Nachbarin ist schon seit fünf Jahren in Rente." (My neighbor has been retired for five years.)
- Gesetzliche Rente vs. Private Rente: A frequent distinction between state pension and private pension plans.
- Rente beziehen: Means 'to receive a pension'. Example: "Er bezieht eine Rente von 1200 Euro." (He receives a pension of 1200 euros.)
- In finance: Less common, but correct, for regular income/yields. Example: "Die Zinsen seines Kapitals stellen eine nette kleine Rente dar." (The interest from his capital represents a nice little income/annuity.)
⚠️ There's little risk of confusion, as the meaning is usually clear from the context. The term Pension is often used synonymously, but strictly speaking, refers to the retirement benefits for civil servants (Beamte).
🧠 Mnemonics for "die Rente"
For the article: Think of the word 'rent'. Die Rente is like the 'rent' you receive for your life's work. Words ending in '-e' are often feminine in German, like die Rente. Die is the feminine article.
For the meaning: Imagine someone *rant*ing 😠 about how small their *Rente* (pension) is. Or someone deciding to *rent* a small flat now that they receive their *Rente*.
🔁 Synonyms & Antonyms for Rente
Synonyms (similar meaning):
- Pension (f.): Often synonymous, but specifically for civil servant pensions.
- Ruhegeld (n.): Also means retirement income. Literally 'rest money'.
- Altersversorgung (f.): General term for old-age provision/security.
- Altersrente (f.): Specifically 'old-age pension'.
- Ertrag (m.): Refers to the financial meaning (yield, return from capital).
Similar but different words:
😂 A little joke
German: Fragt der Enkel den Opa: "Opa, was machst du eigentlich den ganzen Tag, jetzt wo du in Rente bist?" Sagt der Opa: "Nichts." Enkel: "Aber das hast du doch gestern auch schon gemacht?" Opa: "Ja, aber ich bin nicht fertig geworden!" 😉
English: The grandson asks his grandpa: "Grandpa, what do you actually do all day now that you're retired (in Rente)?" The grandpa says: "Nothing." Grandson: "But you did that yesterday too?" Grandpa: "Yes, but I didn't finish!" 😉
✍️ Poem about Rente
German:
Die Arbeit schwer, die Jahre lang,
Nun naht ein neuer Lebensklang.
Die Uhr tickt anders, sanft und leis,
Beginnt die wohlverdiente Reis'.
Die Rente kommt, ein Ruhekissen,
Man muss nun nichts mehr schaffen müssen.
Zeit für den Garten, Buch und Traum,
Im Lebensherbst ein lichter Raum. ✨
English:
The work was hard, the years were long,
Now nears a new life's song.
The clock ticks different, soft and low,
A well-earned journey starts to flow.
Die Rente comes, a cushion'd rest,
No need to work, put to the test.
Time for the garden, book, and dream,
In life's autumn, a bright gleam. ✨
❓ Riddle
German:
Ich komme meist, wenn graue Haare sprießen,
und lasse dich die freie Zeit genießen.
Monatlich erscheine ich auf dem Kontoauszug,
nach einem langen Arbeitszug.
Wer bin ich?
... Die Rente
English:
I usually come when grey hair starts to sprout,
And let you enjoy free time, no doubt.
Monthly I appear on the bank statement's page,
After a long working stage.
What am I?
... Die Rente (Pension/Retirement Income)
🌐 More on Rente
Word Compounds (Wortzusammensetzungen): The word "Rente" is part of many important terms in the German social and financial system:
- Rentenalter (n.): The statutory retirement age.
- Rentenversicherung (f.): The pension insurance system that finances and pays out the statutory pension.
- Rentner/-in (m./f.): Pensioner/retiree.
- Rentenbescheid (m.): Official notification document stating the pension amount.
- Rentenlücke (f.): Pension gap (the difference between the last salary and the pension amount).
Etymology: The word comes from Middle Latin "rendita", meaning 'that which is brought in, yield'. It is related to the French "rendre" (to give back, yield).
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Rente?
The word "Rente" is always feminine. The correct article is die Rente.