die /
der
Selbständige
🌍 What does Selbständige(r) mean?
The word Selbständige(r) refers to a person who works professionally on their own account and at their own risk and is not in dependent employment. It is a nominalized adjective (ein substantiviertes Adjektiv).
The distinction by gender through the article is important:
- die Selbständige: Refers to a female person who is self-employed.
- der Selbständige: Refers to a male person who is self-employed.
🚨 Attention: The form 'Selbständige' without an article can refer to a female person (die Selbständige) or the plural (die Selbständigen). The context is crucial.
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/der Selbständige
"Selbständige(r)" is a nominalized adjective and is declined accordingly. The declension follows the pattern of adjective declension after the definite article (weak declension) or indefinite article/no article (strong or mixed declension).
Declension: die Selbständige (feminine)
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die Selbständige | die Selbständigen |
| Genitive | der Selbständigen | der Selbständigen |
| Dative | der Selbständigen | den Selbständigen |
| Accusative | die Selbständige | die Selbständigen |
Declension: der Selbständige (masculine)
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der Selbständige | die Selbständigen |
| Genitive | des Selbständigen | der Selbständigen |
| Dative | dem Selbständigen | den Selbständigen |
| Accusative | den Selbständigen | die Selbständigen |
Example Sentences
- Die Selbständige eröffnete ihr eigenes Café. (The self-employed woman opened her own café.)
- Das Finanzamt prüft die Bücher des Selbständigen. (The tax office checks the self-employed man's books.)
- Wir arbeiten oft mit selbständigen Beratern zusammen. (We often work together with self-employed consultants. - Here 'selbständigen' is an adjective before the noun 'Beratern')
- Viele Selbständige schätzen die Flexibilität ihrer Arbeit. (Many self-employed people appreciate the flexibility of their work.)
🔧 When to use Selbständige(r)?
The term is frequently used in the context of work (Arbeit), economy (Wirtschaft), taxes (Steuern), and law (Recht).
- Distinction: It clearly differs from der/die Angestellte (employee) or der/die Arbeitnehmer/in (employee), who are in dependent employment.
- Freiberufler vs. Selbständiger: A Freiberufler (freelancer, often in specific professions like doctors, lawyers, artists) is a special type of Selbständiger. Not every Selbständiger is a Freiberufler (e.g., a craftsman with their own business, a trader).
- Colloquial Use: In everyday language, people often just say they are 'selbstständig' ("Ich bin selbstständig." - I am self-employed.). The nominalized form "der/die Selbständige" is more formal.
🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids
Article/Gender: Think of the endings: die Selbständige (feminine, ends in -e like many feminine nouns), der Selbständige (masculine, the nominative singular form mirrors the adjective ending after 'der').
Meaning: "Selbst-ständig" – He or she stands (steht) on their own feet, by themself (selbst), with no boss breathing down their neck. They organize their work themselves (selbst) and constantly (ständig - though the original meaning is 'standing').
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar Meaning):
- Unternehmer / Unternehmerin: (Entrepreneur) Often used synonymously, but emphasizes running a business more strongly.
- Freiberufler / Freiberuflerin: (Freelancer) Specific category of self-employed individuals (see usage).
- Gewerbetreibende(r): (Trader/Business owner) Self-employed person with a registered trade (Gewerbe), not a Freiberufler.
- Einzelunternehmer / Einzelunternehmerin: (Sole proprietor) Emphasizes the legal form.
Antonyms (Opposite Meaning):
- Angestellte(r): (Employee) Works in dependent employment.
- Arbeitnehmer / Arbeitnehmerin: (Employee) Synonym for Angestellte(r).
- Beamter / Beamtin: (Civil servant) Holds a position under public law.
😂 A Little Joke
Warum gehen Selbständige nie pleite? Weil sie immer auf eigene Rechnung arbeiten! 😉
(Why do self-employed people never go bankrupt? Because they always work on their own account! - 'Auf eigene Rechnung arbeiten' literally means 'to work on one's own bill/invoice' but idiomatically means 'to work for oneself/be self-employed'.)
✍️ Poem about Self-Employed People
Kein Chef, der ruft, kein fester Plan,
Der Selbständige packt selber an.
Mal läuft es rund, mal ist es schwer,
Die Freiheit lockt, er will nicht mehr
Zurück ins Hamsterrad, so grau,
Er baut sich auf, ist selber schlau.
Der Selbständige, ob Frau, ob Mann,
Zieht seinen Karren selbst voran.
(No boss who calls, no fixed plan,
The self-employed person tackles it themselves.
Sometimes it runs smoothly, sometimes it's hard,
Freedom beckons, they no longer want
Back to the hamster wheel, so grey,
They build themselves up, are clever themselves.
The self-employed, whether woman or man,
Pulls their own cart forward.)
❓ Riddle
Ich habe keinen Vorgesetzten,
muss mich aber oft vernetzen.
Mein Einkommen kann stark schwanken,
dafür setz' ich selbst die Schranken.
Ob Frau, ob Mann, das ist hier klar,
mein eigener Herr / Frau bin ich, fürwahr.
Wer bin ich?
(Who am I?)
(Answer: Der/Die Selbständige - The self-employed person (m/f))
(Translation:
I have no supervisor,
but often have to network.
My income can fluctuate greatly,
but I set the limits myself.
Whether woman or man, that's clear here,
I am my own master / mistress, indeed.)
🤓 Other Information
Word Composition: The word is composed of "selbst" (self, own, alone) and "ständig" (here in the sense of 'standing', 'standing on one's own feet'). It becomes a noun (nominalization) through the use of an article and capitalization.
Statistics: The number of self-employed individuals (die Zahl der Selbständigen) is an important indicator of a country's economic dynamism.
📝 Summary: is it der or die Selbständige?
"Selbständige" is a nominalized adjective. Use 'die Selbständige' for a female person and 'der Selbständige' for a male person who is professionally self-employed.