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Vocab: Family — B2
Family vocabulary at B2 level.
Maskulin Feminin Neutrum Plural
der Vetter — male cousin
Der Vetter means a male cousin, but der Cousin is more common in everyday modern German. It is a weak masculine noun: use den Vetter, dem Vetter, and die Vettern.
Der Vetter meiner Mutter lebt in Köln.
My mother's male cousin lives in Cologne.
meine Mutter means my mother, lebt means lives, and Köln is Cologne. Der Vetter is nominative because it is the subject; as a weak masculine noun, Vetter does not take an ending in the nominative singular.
Ich besuche meinen Vetter am Wochenende.
I am visiting my male cousin at the weekend.
besuchen means to visit and am Wochenende means at the weekend. Meinen Vetter is accusative because besuchen takes a direct object; weak masculine nouns take -n in the accusative, so the form is Vetter with the ending shown on meinen, not on the noun.
Ich telefoniere oft mit meinem Vetter.
I often speak on the phone with my male cousin.
oft means often and telefonieren means to speak on the phone. Mit always takes the dative, and the weak noun therefore appears as Vetter with the dative ending -n: meinem Vetter.
Das Auto meines Vetters ist sehr alt.
My male cousin's car is very old.
das Auto means car and sehr alt means very old. Meines Vetters is genitive because it shows possession; unlike the other oblique forms, the genitive singular of Vetter ends in -s.
Meine Vettern wohnen in verschiedenen Städten.
My male cousins live in different cities.
wohnen means live and verschiedene Städte means different cities. Vettern is the plural subject, and this weak masculine noun keeps the ending -n in the plural; the finite verb wohnen is in position two.
das Väterchen — daddy, dear old father; little father; Father Frost; a personified father figure
The ending -chen makes Vater sound small, affectionate or old-fashioned, and it changes the noun to neuter: das Väterchen. The plural remains Väterchen, but the genitive singular is des Väterchens.
Mein Väterchen wartet schon zu Hause.
My dear old dad is already waiting at home.
mein means my, wartet means is waiting, schon means already, and zu Hause means at home. Mein Väterchen is nominative because it is the subject; the finite verb wartet stands in position two.
Ich besuche mein Väterchen am Sonntag.
I am visiting my dear old dad on Sunday.
besuchen means visit and am Sonntag means on Sunday. Mein Väterchen is accusative because besuchen takes a direct object; the finite verb besuche is in position two.
Ich helfe meinem Väterchen im Garten.
I help my dear old dad in the garden.
helfen means help, meinem means my in the dative, and im Garten means in the garden. Meinem Väterchen is dative because helfen requires dative; im means in dem, and it marks location here.
Das Auto meines Väterchens ist sehr alt.
My dear old dad's car is very old.
das Auto means car, meines means my in the genitive, and sehr alt means very old. Meines Väterchens is genitive because it shows possession; the diminutive noun adds -s, while ist is in position two.
Die Väterchen sitzen zusammen am Tisch.
The dear old fathers are sitting together at the table.
sitzen means are sitting, zusammen means together, and am Tisch means at the table. Väterchen has the same form in the plural because -chen diminutives do not change; am is an dem, and the dative marks the location.
Väterchen Frost bringt den Kindern Schnee.
Father Frost brings the children snow.
Frost means frost, bringt means brings, den Kindern means the children, and Schnee means snow. Väterchen Frost is the nominative subject, while den Kindern is dative because they receive something; the finite verb bringt is in position two.
In der Geschichte hilft Väterchen Frost einem armen Jungen.
In the story, Father Frost helps a poor boy.
in der Geschichte means in the story, hilft means helps, arm means poor, and der Junge means boy. Einem armen Jungen is dative because helfen requires dative; the verb hilft is in position two, and the weak noun has -n in the dative.
der Zivilstand — marital status, civil status
Der Zivilstand is an official or administrative term for marital status and is particularly common in Switzerland and Austria. In Germany, Familienstand is more usual.
Der Zivilstand steht auf dem Formular.
The marital status is stated on the form.
steht means is written or appears, and das Formular means the form. Der Zivilstand is nominative because it is the subject; the finite verb steht is in position two.
Bitte geben Sie den Zivilstand an.
Please state your marital status.
bitte means please and angeben means to state or provide. Den Zivilstand is accusative because angeben takes a direct object; in the formal command, geben comes first and the separable prefix an goes to the end.
Die Behörde hilft dem Bürger beim Zivilstand.
The authority helps the citizen with the marital-status matter.
die Behörde means the authority, hilft means helps, and der Bürger means the citizen. Dem Bürger is dative because helfen always takes dative, while beim means bei dem and also takes dative.
Die Änderung des Zivilstands muss gemeldet werden.
The change in marital status must be reported.
die Änderung means the change, gemeldet werden means be reported, and muss means must. Des Zivilstands is genitive because it specifies which change; the modal and passive verbs form a bracket with muss near the start and gemeldet werden at the end.
Die verschiedenen Zivilstände werden statistisch erfasst.
The various marital statuses are recorded statistically.
verschiedenen means various, statistisch means statistically, and erfasst werden means are recorded. Zivilstände is plural, and werden ... erfasst is a passive construction with the participle at the end.