German word

Fremde

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈfʁɛmdə/

Meaning

  • noun (m./f.)stranger

Example

Die Fremde fragt nach dem Weg.

The stranger asks for directions.

Illustration for Fremde (stranger)

More examples

Am Bahnhof kam er mit einer Fremden ins Gespräch.

At the station, he got into conversation with a female stranger.

Core concept

Someone unknown who remains outside a group, community, or place familiar to the speaker.

Common phrases

  • eine Fremde ansprechen

    address a female stranger

  • sich vor Fremden zurückhalten

    hold back in front of strangers

Similar words

Unbekannte: A person whose name or identity is not clearly known.
Fremder: An unfamiliar person in general, with no personal connection established.

Definition in German

Bezeichnet eine unbestimmte Person, die man nicht kennt; wird häufig mit Artikel verwendet (der Fremde / die Fremde).

Word origin

Fremde developed from the adjective fremd through the German process of nominalization, preserving the adjective's sense of unfamiliarity or foreignness.

Usage tips

  • In der Fremde uses Fremde for a foreign or unfamiliar place rather than a stranger, so the surrounding context determines the meaning.

Other meanings

  • outsidernoun

Opposites

  • Bekannteracquaintancenoun
  • Einheimischerlocalnoun

Related words

  • fremdstrangeadjective
  • verfremdenalienateverb

Word lists with this word