The German word for series is die Serie.
You’ll hear it on streaming platforms, in bookstores, in sports commentary, and even in math class. Serie in German refers to any group of related things that appear one after the other—episodes, events, games, numbers, or crimes.
It’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German (you can download a free illustrated PDF to learn them all!), and it’s especially helpful in everyday conversation and media.
Gender and Pronunciation
It’s a feminine noun: die Serie.
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Pronunciation:
Serie is pronounced [ZAY-ree-uh]
“ZAY” like “say” with a Z
“ree” like “reel” without the L
“uh” like “sofa”
Three syllables: ZAY-ree-uh
Example sentences
Ich schaue gerade eine spannende Serie.
I’m watching an exciting series right now.
Die Serie hat zehn Folgen.
The series has ten episodes.
Er hat eine Serie von Fehlern gemacht.
He made a series of mistakes.
Nuance and usage tips
📺 In entertainment, Serie is the direct word for TV series, streaming shows, and multi-part dramas. You’ll hear Fernsehserie, Krimiserie (crime series), and Netflix-Serie used widely.
📚 In books, Serie refers to a book series—like Harry Potter or Die Drei ???.
📈 In formal or academic settings, it also means sequence or succession—a mathematische Serie (mathematical series), Unglücksserie (series of accidents), or Siegesserie (winning streak).
🧩 The plural is Serien, as in Ich liebe britische Serien (I love British series).
How does this word come up in real conversations?
"Hast du die neue Serie schon gesehen?"
Have you seen the new series yet?
"Diese Serie hat ein offenes Ende."
This series has an open ending.
"Er hat eine lange Pechserie hinter sich."
He’s had a long run of bad luck.
Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)
Tom: Was schaust du da?
Mira: Eine neue Serie auf Netflix. Richtig spannend!
Tom: Wie viele Folgen gibt’s?
Mira: Zehn. Ich bin schon bei Folge sechs!
Translation:
Tom: What are you watching?
Mira: A new series on Netflix. Really exciting!
Tom: How many episodes are there?
Mira: Ten. I’m already on episode six!
Grammatical case examples
Nominative:
Die Serie ist sehr beliebt.
The series is very popular.
Accusative:
Ich habe die ganze Serie in einer Woche gesehen.
I watched the whole series in a week.
Dative:
Mit der Serie habe ich gestern angefangen.
I started the series yesterday.
Genitive:
Das Ende der Serie war überraschend.
The end of the series was surprising.
Other ways to say series in German
While Serie is the most common way to say series in German, especially in media, other words can be used depending on the context. In mathematics, Reihe sometimes replaces Serie, particularly for number sequences. In academic or technical writing, Abfolge (sequence) or Folge (episode/entry) might be used for ordered events. Staffel refers to a season of a show, not the full series, but often appears alongside Serie—as in zweite Staffel der Serie (second season of the series). Still, Serie remains the core word across most topics.
Word variations and tidbits
You’ll find Serie in phrases like Krimiserie (crime series), Comedyserie, Miniserie, or Dramaserie. In sports, it shows up in Siegesserie (winning streak), Niederlagenserie (losing streak), and Elfmeterschießen-Serie (penalty shootout series). There’s also Erfolgsserie (success streak) in business or politics. In German culture, long-running shows like Tatort or Lindenstraße are iconic Serien, and the word is part of daily life for streaming, school, and storytelling.
🧠 Fun fact: The word Serie comes from Latin series, just like in English. But unlike English, where “series” is the same in singular and plural, German adds the plural -en—so one Serie, multiple Serien.
📘 Duden entry for Serie
🎥 Want to make your language learning a binge-worthy experience? Our free video course teaches the top 1000 German nouns—complete with visuals, usage tips, and a printable PDF to keep the Serie going.
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