meine verstorbene Mutter
In German, the phrase for "my late mother" is meine verstorbene Mutter.
This phrase is used to refer to a mother who has died.
Which one should you use?
While meine verstorbene Mutter is respectful, meine tote Mutter translates to "my dead mother" and is blunt and can sound insensitive or clinical in most social contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Using verstorbene is a respectful, formal way to refer to someone who has died, similar to "the late" in English.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The phrase Meine verstorbene Mutti is a regional variation used in some areas where Mutti is an affectionate term for mother.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective verstorbene takes the -e ending because it follows the possessive pronoun meine in the feminine nominative case. If you are saying "of my late mother" (genitive case), the phrase changes to meiner verstorbenen Mutter.
Did you know?
- The word Mutter for a bolt nut was originally derived from the word for 'mother' as a sexual metaphor.
- In very formal obituaries or legal documents, the term verstorbene might be replaced by weiland, an archaic word for 'late' that is rarely heard in spoken conversation today.
- Some speakers use meine selige Mutter to describe their late mother, which specifically suggests she is now 'blessed' in the afterlife.
Examples in context
- Meine verstorbene Mutter liebte Rosen.My late mother loved roses.
- Meine verstorbene Mutter war eine starke Frau.My late mother was a strong woman.
Example conversation
Hannah and Felix are looking at an old photo album.
- HannahAuf diesem Foto ist meine verstorbene Mutter.My late mother is in this photo.
- FelixSie sieht auf dem Bild sehr freundlich aus.She looks very friendly in the picture.
- HannahJa, sie war immer sehr herzlich.Yes, she was always very warm-hearted.
- FelixIch kann verstehen, warum du sie vermisst.I can understand why you miss her.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Mutter, CC BY-SA 4.0.
