alemán
/aleˈman/
The phrase "german language" in Spanish is alemán.
alemán is the standard and most commonly used term for the German language in Spanish.
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, the word alemán is not capitalized in Spanish unless it starts a sentence.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer specifically to the language as a noun, it is common to use the masculine article: el alemán. The word also has several inflected forms: the feminine form of the adjective is alemana, the plural masculine form is alemanes and the plural feminine form is alemanas.
How do you pronounce it?
/aleˈman/
Did you know?
- The word alemán comes from the Latin Alemannus, which is derived from a Proto-Germanic word meaning 'all men'.
- A Spanish speaker might describe someone as muy alemán to describe a personality trait like punctuality or rigidity, rather than just their origin.
- While alemán is the standard term, Spanish speakers in some contexts might refer to the language as teutón when speaking in a more academic or archaic style.
Examples in context
- El idioma inglés es pariente del alemán.The English language is cognate to the German language.This sentence shows the relationship between the English and alemán languages.Tatoeba #637318 by Leono, translation #26290 by Objectivesea
- No creo que haya nada en toda la Tierra que no pueda aprenderse en Berlín, salvo el idioma alemán.I don't believe there is anything in the whole earth that you can't learn in Berlin except the German language.This sentence uses alemán to refer to the language in the context of learning it in Berlin.Tatoeba #637346 by Leono, translation #552736 by deniko
- En el año 2020, el uso del alemán en todas las instituciones públicas fue abolido en favor del inglés, a pesar de las protestas masivas por parte de la población.In the year 2020, the use of the German language in all public institutions was abolished in favor of English, despite massive protests on the part of the population.This sentence discusses the use of alemán in public institutions.Tatoeba #4637609 by lawka, translation #3771077 by Eldad
- Me gustaría aprender el idioma alemán para avanzar en mi carrera profesional.I would like to learn the German language to advance in my professional career.
- ¿Sabías que mi primo está estudiando alemán?Did you know that my cousin is studying German?
- La lengua alemana es considerada una de las más importantes en el ámbito académico.The German language is considered one of the most important in the academic field.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are talking about their language classes at the university.
- Mateo¿Estás estudiando el alemán este semestre?Are you studying German this semester?
- MaríaNo, prefiero estudiar el francés.No, I prefer to study French.
- MateoEs una lástima, el alemán es muy útil.It is a shame, German is very useful.
- MaríaEs cierto, pero me parece difícil.That is true, but it seems difficult to me.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry alemán, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alemán, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
