arm
[aʁm]
The German word for poor is arm.
The term arm is the most common term for 'poor' in German and applies to both financial poverty and general lack of resources. The term bedürftig can be used to convey the sense of 'needy' or 'deprived.'
Meaning: with few or no possessions or money (adj)
Which one should you use?
The term mittellos is a formal alternative for 'poor,' especially concerning financial poverty. The phrase knapp bei Kasse sein expresses the notion of being short on cash or tight on money.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as a noun to mean 'a poor person', the adjective 'arm' takes an ending, such as der Arme for a poor man. Additionally, Arme can be used to refer to the poor people of a society collectively or the poor class of a society and Armer can refer to a poor person.
Did you know?
- The German word arm shares its ancient roots with the English word 'orphan', as both are thought to stem from a Proto-Indo-European word meaning 'sparse' or 'lacking'.
- Be careful with the spelling of arm in a physical context, as it is also the German word for 'arm', the body part.
- German speakers often use the phrase arm an Zeit sein to say they are 'poor in time' or short on time, which is less common in English.
Examples in context
- Er war sehr arm.He was very poor.This sentence uses arm to describe someone who was very poor.Tatoeba #665648 by samueldora, translation #292549 by CK
- Tom war nie arm.Tom never was poor.This sentence uses arm to state that Tom was never poor.Tatoeba #8826238 by wolfgangth, translation #3410920 by CK
- Er ist sehr arm.He's very poor.This sentence uses arm to describe someone who is very poor.Tatoeba #8939361 by wolfgangth, translation #8478718 by CH
- Die Familie lebt in ärmlichen Verhältnissen.The family lives in poor conditions.
- Viele Menschen sind bedürftig und benötigen Unterstützung.Many people are needy and require support.
- Die Familie ist mittellos und hat Schwierigkeiten, ihre Rechnungen zu bezahlen.The family is poor and is struggling to pay their bills.
- Ich kann nicht mit ins Kino kommen, ich bin gerade total pleite.I can't come to the movies, I'm completely broke right now.
- In diesem Monat bin ich knapp bei Kasse, also müssen wir uns mit kostenlosen Freizeitaktivitäten begnügen.I'm tight on money this month, so we'll have to settle for free leisure activities.
- Er hat mal wieder keine Kohle/Moos.He doesn't have any dough at all, as usual.
- Schaugn ma moi, der is echt schlecht dran!Look at him, he's really poor!
- 491 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Laura and Maximilian are talking about a charity project.
- LauraWir müssen armen Menschen helfen.We must help poor people.
- MaximilianDas ist eine sehr gute Idee, Laura.That is a very good idea, Laura.
- LauraSind sie in dieser Stadt wirklich arm?Are they really poor in this city?
- MaximilianJa, viele Familien haben kaum Geld.Yes, many families have hardly any money.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “poor” translations and entries arm, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries arm, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
