Spanish word

alemán

Pronunciation

IPA/aleˈman/

Meaning

  • masculine nounGerman

Example

Estudio alemán todos los días.

I study German every day.

Illustration for alemán (German)

More examples

Practico alemán con amigos nativos.

I practice German with native friends.

Core concept

A German person, the German language, or an attribute from Germany.

Common phrases

  • practicar alemán

    practice German

  • leer en alemán

    read in German

  • conversación en alemán

    conversation in German

Similar words

idioma alemán: Language named as a subject or course, as in studying German.
lengua alemana: Everyday spoken German, including regional dialects and accents.

Definition in Spanish

Indica relación con Alemania: idioma, persona o cosa originaria de ese país.

Word origin

Alemán derives from Latin Alemannus, itself from the Germanic tribe name Alemanni, which yields the medieval Romance terms for people and language of that region.

Usage tips

  • When referring to a person the noun commonly takes a definite article and matches gender (el alemán, la alemana), while as an adjective it agrees in gender and number with the modified noun.

Other meanings

  • German personnoun

Word lists with this word