Urgroßvater
The German phrase for great grandfather is Urgroßvater.
Urgroßvater is used to refer to the father of one's grandparent.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to more than one great grandfather, use the plural form Urgroßväter. If you want to show possession (great grandfather's), use the genitive singular form Urgroßvaters.
Did you know?
- The prefix ur- can be added repeatedly to trace lineage back indefinitely, such as Ururgroßvater for a great-great-grandfather.
- While Urgroßvater is the formal term, many Germans use the more affectionate Uropa, a blend of ur- and Opa.
- The prefix ur- comes from the Old High German word for 'origin' or 'beginning'.
Examples in context
- Mein Urgroßvater war Schmied.My great-grandfather was a blacksmith.This sentence is useful for mentioning a great grandfather's profession using Urgroßvater.Tatoeba #10990118 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #10990060 by shekitten
- Mein Urgroßvater war Kanadier.My great-grandfather was a Canadian.This sentence is useful for mentioning a great grandfather's nationality using Urgroßvater.Tatoeba #7825484 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #7824580 by CK
- Sein Urgroßvater sah krank aus.His great-grandfather looked ill.This sentence is useful for describing how a great grandfather looked using Urgroßvater.Tatoeba #4947630 by l4t3, translation #4944018 by Muelisto
- Ich habe meinen Urgroßvater dieses Wochenende besucht.I visited my great grandfather this weekend.
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah and Julian are looking at an old family photo album.
- HannahWer ist dieser Mann?Who is this man?
- JulianDas war mein Urgroßvater.That was my great grandfather.
- HannahEr sieht sehr freundlich aus.He looks very friendly.
- JulianJa, er war ein netter Mann.Yes, he was a kind man.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Urgroßvater, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
