How to Say Man in German - Watch Out for This Pitfall

Whether you’re describing someone’s husband, talking about a stranger, or quoting a news report, you’ll need to know how to say man in German. It’s one of the first words learners encounter, and one of the most widely used.

The word is der Mann. It’s masculine, and the plural is die Männer. If you’re not yet sure when to use der, die, or das, my gender video lesson will help clear it up quickly.

Der Mann is one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German, and it’s essential for both everyday and formal language. But don’t confuse it with the impersonal word man, which means “one” or “people in general” - as in man sagt… (“people say…”).

Examples in all four cases:

Nominative:Der Mann steht vor der Tür.The man is standing at the door.

Accusative:Ich sehe den Mann im Park.I see the man in the park.

Dative:Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch.I give the book to the man.

Genitive:Das ist die Tasche des Mannes.That is the man’s bag.

Where you’ll hear Mann:

• Ehemann - husband

• mein Mann - my husband (a normal everyday alternative to mein Ehemann)

• Männerabend - guys’ night

• Männerrolle - male role

• ein echter Mann - a real man

Common verbs:

• sehen - to see

• heiraten - to marry

• beschreiben - to describe

• vertrauen - to trust

• arbeiten - to work(Er arbeitet als Lehrer. - He works as a teacher.)

Common adjectives: