German Conversation · Level 13
89 words
German word
dritte
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈdʁɪtə/
Meaning
- ordinal numberthird
Example
Das ist die dritte Tür.
That is the third door.
More examples
Die Firma belegte den dritten Platz.
The company took third place.
Core concept
A marked position counted from the beginning, with two items before it.
Common phrases
der dritte Platz
third place
der dritte Schritt
third step
die dritte Etage
third floor
Similar words
erste: Marking the first position in a sequence.
zweite: Marking the second position in a sequence, after the first item.
Definition in German
dritte ist die Ordnungszahl zu drei und tritt attributiv wie in „die dritte Tür“ sowie substantiviert als ‚das Dritte‘ auf.
Word origin
The modern form dritte descends from Proto-Germanic *þridjaz and retains the historical dritt- stem associated with drei.
Usage tips
- The phrase als Drittes uses the neuter ending because the ordinal stands for an unstated item or point in a sequence.