Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika | /fɛɐ̯ˈʔaɪ̯nɪçtə ˈʃtaːtn̩ fɔn aˈmeːʁika/ | masculine, plural |
| Vereinigte Staaten | /fɛʁˌʔaɪ̯nɪçtə ˈʃtaːtn̩/ | masculine, plural |
| Amerika | /aˈmeːʁika/ /ɑˈmɛɐ̯ʀikɑ/ (Austria) |
neuter |
The term is used to refer to the country in North America. In common speech, Germans frequently use Amerika as a shorthand for the country, although this term can also refer to the entire American continent.
Which one should you use?
Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika is the full, formal name of the country. Vereinigte Staaten is a shorter version. Amerika is a common shorthand, but note that it can also mean the continent.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is grammatically plural, so it requires plural articles and plural verb forms. When used after the preposition in to indicate location, the phrase takes the dative plural form den Vereinigten Staaten. To indicate possession or to say "of the United States", use the genitive form der Vereinigten Staaten.
How do you pronounce it?
/fɛɐ̯ˈʔaɪ̯nɪçtə ˈʃtaːtn̩ fɔn aˈmeːʁika/
Did you know?
- While English speakers often use 'the States' to refer to their country, Germans rarely use a short form like 'die Staaten' to mean the USA. Using just 'die Staaten' can sound incomplete or confusing in German, unlike the natural sounding English shorthand.
- The word von in the full name is a cognate of the Dutch word van and the Old Saxon fan, all meaning 'from'.
- When speaking about the US as a political entity in formal news, Germans often use die USA, pronouncing each letter individually in German.
Examples in context
- Willkommen in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika!Welcome to the United States of America.This sentence is useful for practicing a welcome greeting using Amerika.Tatoeba #3261096 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2470698 by Hybrid
- Er wurde in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika geboren.He was born in the United States of America.This sentence is useful for describing a place of birth using Amerika.Tatoeba #6320786 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2565510 by Hybrid
- Wo ist die Hauptstadt der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika?Where is the capital of the United States of America?This sentence is useful for asking about the capital of the country using Amerika.Tatoeba #4803196 by Raringo, translation #3931096 by AlanF_US
- In den Vereinigten Staaten gibt es viele SehenswürdigkeitenIn the United States, there are many tourist attractions
- Dieser Film kommt aus den USAThis movie is from the USA
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “united states of america” translations and entries Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika, Vereinigte Staaten, Amerika, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Vereinigte Staaten, von, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
