die Frau
/diː fʁaʊ̯/word by word
The English phrase "the woman" is translated into German as die Frau.
die Frau refers to an adult female human being.
Which one should you use?
While die Frau is the standard way to say "the woman", it can also function as a formal title equivalent to "Mrs." when it is used alongside a surname.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun Frau takes the article die. In the accusative case, which is used for direct objects, the form remains die Frau. However, if you are using the phrase in the dative or genitive case, the article changes from die to der. The plural form for "the women" is die Frauen, and the genitive plural form is der Frauen.
How do you pronounce it?
/diː fʁaʊ̯/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using den Frau when expressing the accusative case. Because Frau is a feminine noun, the article must remain die Frau.
Did you know?
- The ancestor of Frau is linked to the Proto-Indo-European root for 'going forward', which also produced the Ancient Greek word πρῶρα for the 'prow' of a ship.
Examples in context
- Wo ist die Frau?Where is the woman?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of die Frau.Tatoeba #2216322 by Esperantostern, translation #2758392 by Ricardo14
- Die Frau ist dick.The woman is fat.This sentence is useful for describing the weight of die Frau.Tatoeba #1528168 by Esperantostern, translation #1487012 by rkqb
- Die Frau ist jung.The woman is young.This sentence is useful for describing the age of die Frau.Tatoeba #5915154 by arved, translation #2429367 by gone2bacolod
- Der Chef spricht mit der Frau über die Geschäftsstrategie.The boss is talking to the woman about the business strategy.
- Wir gehen heute mit der Frau ins Kino.We're going to the movies with the woman today.
- 165 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah and Lukas are at a cafe watching the street.
- HannahWer ist die Frau dort?Who is the woman there?
- LukasDas ist meine neue Nachbarin.That is my new neighbor.
- HannahSie sieht sehr nett aus.She looks very nice.
- LukasJa, die Frau ist sehr freundlich.Yes, the woman is very friendly.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (die, Frau) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Frau, die, frau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
