dritte
/ˈdrɪtə/
The English phrase 'third' is translated into German as dritte.
The word is the ordinal form of the cardinal number three. When used as an adjective or part of a date, dritte must take an appropriate inflectional ending to match the gender of the noun.
Meaning: the ordinal form of the cardinal number three (adj)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the ordinal number 'third' changes its ending based on the gender, number and grammatical case of the noun it modifies. For example, dritter is the masculine form and changes to dritten in the accusative case.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdrɪtə/
Did you know?
- In German music theory, a 'third' is called die Terz, a word borrowed from Latin that completely replaces the ordinal dritte in this specific technical context.
- When referring to a 'third party' in a legal sense, der Dritte can paradoxically mean both a helpful neutral mediator and an unwanted intruder.
- The word dritte shares a common ancestor with the English word 'three' and 'third'. They all stem from the same Proto-Indo-European root for the number three.
Examples in context
- Morgen ist der dritte.Tomorrow is the third.This sentence uses dritte to indicate a date.Tatoeba #12240146 by mhr, translation #7872498 by CK
- Tom kam als dritter an.Tom was the third to arrive.This sentence uses dritte to describe someone's arrival position.Tatoeba #13374498 by Waldelfe, translation #11860883 by Adelpa
- Es ist der dritte Oktober.It's the third of October.This sentence uses dritte to specify a day in October.Tatoeba #2170039 by Vortarulo, translation #73449 by CK
- Die dritte EtageThe third floor
- Die dritte PersonThe third person
- Wir haben die dritte Runde gewonnen.We won the third round.
- Der dritte VersuchThe third attempt
- Der dritte TagThe third day
- Er hat den dritten Platz belegt.He took the third place.
- Ich bin im dritten Stock.I'm on the third floor.
- Er ist zum dritten Mal hier.He is here for the third time.
- Sie hat ihn schon zum dritten Mal getroffen.She has already met him for the third time.
- 228 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are looking for a specific apartment in a building.
- SarahWo ist denn die Wohnung?Where is the apartment then?
- JulianSie ist in der dritten Etage.It is on the third floor.
- SarahJulian, ist das die dritte Tür links?Julian, is that the third door on the left?
- JulianJa, genau, das ist sie.Yes, exactly, that is it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “third” translations and entries dritte, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
