German word

Person

Pronunciation

IPA/pɛɐ̯ˈzoːn/

Meaning

  • feminine nounperson

Example

Ich kenne diese Personen.

I know these people.

Illustration for Person (person)

More examples

Ich möchte eine Person kennenlernen.

I would like to get to know a person.

Core concept

One human figure with an individual identity, viewed either on its own or within a particular role.

Common phrases

  • eine Person kennenlernen

    get to know a person

  • eine fremde Person

    a stranger

  • eine bekannte Person

    a person I know

Similar words

Mensch: A human being viewed in terms of personal qualities and inner experience.
Personen: A group of people recorded numerically in official documents or statistics.
Leute: A group of people mentioned casually without specifying who they are.

Definition in German

Ein einzelner Mensch als individuelles Wesen oder als in einem bestimmten Zusammenhang behandelte Rolle.

Word origin

German Person comes from Latin persona, which meant a theatrical mask and then a role or character before developing into a word for an individual human.

Usage tips

  • Person is a feminine noun, so the definite article is die and its plural is Personen.

Other meanings

  • characternoun
  • individualnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word