beide
/ˈbaɪ̯də/
The German word for both is beide.
beide is used as a determiner to mean each of two or one and the other. When you want to express the correlative conjunction 'both…and…', you use the related phrase sowohl … als auch.
Meaning: each of two, one and the other (det)
Which one should you use?
While beide is the standard form for both, the specific form used changes based on the grammatical context of the sentence, such as the case or the presence of an article.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form beide is used for both masculine and feminine plural nouns in the nominative and accusative cases. The form beiden is used when 'both' follows a definite article or a possessive determiner, such as in die beiden Kinder (both the children). For the genitive case, use the form beider, as seen in die Meinung beider Männer (the opinion of both men).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbaɪ̯də/
Did you know?
- In colloquial German, people often use the phrase wir beide to emphasize a secret or a shared bond between two people, similar to saying 'just the two of us'.
- The word beide only exists in the plural. Unlike many other German words, it has no singular form because the concept of 'both' logically requires at least two entities.
- In old legal texts, you may find beiderseits, a variation of beide, which refers to 'both sides' of a contract or a border.
Examples in context
- Ich mag sie beide.I like them both.This sentence shows how to use beide to express liking two people.Tatoeba #3344613 by pne, translation #2930608 by astyng
- Sie sind beide gut.They are both good.This sentence uses beide to describe the quality of two people.Tatoeba #1343475 by Zaghawa, translation #325744 by CK
- Sie sind beide tot.They're both dead.This sentence uses beide to describe the state of two people.Tatoeba #2474113 by al_ex_an_der, translation #2243594 by CK
- Sowohl Tom als auch Lisa haben die Prüfung bestandenBoth Tom and Lisa passed the exam
- Beide Autos sind schnellBoth cars are fast
- Sowohl der eine als auch der andere Chef hat gute IdeenBoth bosses have good ideas
- Beide Bücher sind spannendBoth books are exciting
- Sowohl Peter als auch Maria sind meine FreundeBoth Peter and Maria are my friends
- Sowohl der Vorsitzende als auch der Geschäftsführer haben den Vertrag unterzeichnet.Both the chairman and the managing director signed the contract.
- 1269 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felix and Julia are deciding which movies to watch.
- FelixMöchtest du diese beiden Filme sehen?Do you want to see both of these movies?
- JuliaJa, ich möchte beide sehen.Yes, I want to see both.
- FelixDann reserviere ich beide Tickets.Then I will reserve both tickets.
- JuliaDas ist super, danke Felix!That is great, thanks Felix!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “both” translations and entries beide, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
