Länder
/ˈlɛndɐ/
The English phrase "countries" is translated into German as Länder.
Deutschland means Germany, Frankreich means France, Spanien means Spain, Italien means Italy, Polen means Poland, Indien means India and Australien means Australia. In the specific context of Germany, Länder is often used as a shorthand for Bundesländer (federal states).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Austria, the German name for their own country is Österreich. Switzerland is known as Schweiz in German.
How does it change in a sentence?
Länder is the plural form of the singular noun Land. In the dative plural case, the form changes to Ländern.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈlɛndɐ/
Did you know?
- In German, you do not use an article before the names of most Länder, but you must use one for die Schweiz (Switzerland). Saying just Schweiz would sound unnatural to a native speaker.
- When talking about 'foreign countries', Germans use the word Ausland. This is a compound of aus (out of) and Land, essentially meaning 'the land outside'.
- The word Land is the root of the common German term Landwirtschaft, which means 'agriculture'. It literally translates to 'land economy' or 'land management'.
Examples in context
- Tom besuchte vier Länder.Tom visited four countries.This sentence is useful for stating the number of countries Tom visited using Länder.Tatoeba #3082735 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2665339 by meerkat
- Welche Länder hast du besucht?Which countries have you visited?This sentence is useful for asking which countries someone has visited using Länder.Tatoeba #707060 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #682337 by Source_VOA
- Sie hat fremde Länder bereist.She has traveled in foreign countries.This sentence is useful for describing traveling through foreign countries using Länder.Tatoeba #3275296 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #838872 by Scott
- 264 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Felix are talking about their travel plans.
- JuliaIn welchen Ländern warst du schon?In which countries have you already been?
- FelixIch habe schon viele Länder gesehen.I have seen many countries already.
- JuliaMöchtest du in neue Länder reisen?Do you want to travel to new countries?
- FelixJa, ich liebe es, Länder zu entdecken.Yes, I love discovering countries.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Länder, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
