21 December 2025
How do you say sentence or set in German?
The German word for sentence or set is der Satz.Satz in German has multiple meanings: a grammatical sentence, a set in tennis, a set of something (like math problems), or a musical movement. It’s a compact word with wide usage.
It’s also one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German (grab the free illustrated PDF to explore more).
Gender and Pronunciation
It’s a masculine noun: der Satz.Want easier gender memory? This video lesson helps make it stick.
Pronunciation: Satz is pronounced [zats].
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The a is short; initial s is voiced as in zoo, and tz is pronounced ts.
Example sentences
Dieser Satz ist grammatisch korrekt.
This sentence is grammatically correct.
Er hat den ersten Satz verloren.
He lost the first set (in tennis).
Der Hund ist mit einem Satz über den Zaun gesprungen.
The dog jumped over the fence in one bound.
How does this word come up in real conversations?
“Kannst du den Satz noch mal lesen?”
Can you read the sentence again?
“Wie viele Sätze gibt es im Match?”
How many sets are there in the match?
“Ein Satz Besteck fehlt.”
A set of silverware is missing.
Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)
Ben: Der Satz klingt komisch.Mila: Lies ihn nochmal. Vielleicht fehlt ein Wort.Ben: Stimmt! Jetzt ergibt er Sinn.Mila: Grammatik ist manchmal tricky.
Translation:Ben: The sentence sounds weird.Mila: Read it again. Maybe a word is missing.Ben: True! Now it makes sense.Mila: Grammar is tricky sometimes.
Grammatical case examples
Nominative:Der Satz ist schwer zu verstehen.
The sentence is hard to understand.
Accusative:Ich schreibe den Satz neu.
I’m rewriting the sentence.
Dative:Mit dem Satz bin ich noch nicht zufrieden.
I’m not happy with the sentence yet.
Genitive:Die Bedeutung des Satzes ist klar.
The meaning of the sentence is clear.
Other ways to say sentence or set in German
Satz means a grammatical sentence, a tennis set, or a musical movement; in mathematics it can mean a theorem. A mathematical set is a Menge. A court judgment is an Urteil, while a criminal sentence as punishment is a Strafe. Spruch can mean a saying or remark.
Word variations and tidbits
You’ll hear Fragesatz (question), Aussagesatz (statement), Relativsatz (relative clause), Kaffeesatz (coffee grounds), Satzbau (sentence structure), and Schlusssatz (final sentence). In sports: Satzgewinn (winning a set), Satzpause (break between sets).
📘 Duden entry for Satz🎥 Want to build better Sätze? Our free video course teaches the top 1000 German nouns - with structure, examples, and a printable PDF.
Ready for more German Words of the Day?Do you know what Schande means? It’s forgetting a comma in your Satz.And what about Schlüssel? It often follows the right Satz.
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