alemán
/ah-leh-MAHN/
German
Visualizing the concept of German nationality or origin (adjective).
📝 In Action
Mi coche es alemán y es muy eficiente.
A1My car is German and it is very efficient.
La cerveza alemana es famosa en todo el mundo.
A2German beer is famous all over the world.
💡 Grammar Points
Matching the Adjective
As an adjective, 'alemán' must change its ending to match the thing it describes. If the thing is feminine, use 'alemana' (e.g., 'la profesora alemana').
❌ Common Pitfalls
Leaving the Accent
Mistake: "Un libro aleman."
Correction: Un libro alemán. The accent on the 'a' is essential for correct spelling and pronunciation.
⭐ Usage Tips
Placement
Like most nationality adjectives, 'alemán' usually comes after the noun it describes (e.g., 'música alemana').
Visualizing a male person from Germany (noun).
📝 In Action
El alemán es muy puntual.
A1The German (man) is very punctual.
Hay varios alemanes viviendo en mi ciudad.
A2There are several Germans living in my city.
💡 Grammar Points
Feminine Form
To refer to a female person, you must use the feminine noun form: 'la alemana' (the German woman).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using the wrong article
Mistake: "Un alemán vino. (Referring to the language.)"
Correction: Un alemán vino. (This only means a German person came.) If you mean the language, you must use the language definition context.
⭐ Usage Tips
Capitalization
In Spanish, words for nationalities and languages are generally not capitalized, unlike in English.
Visualizing the German language (noun).
📝 In Action
¿Estudias alemán o francés?
A1Do you study German or French?
El alemán tiene palabras muy largas.
B1German (the language) has very long words.
💡 Grammar Points
Language Gender
All languages in Spanish are treated as masculine nouns, so 'alemán' always uses the article 'el' when it means 'the German language'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using the Article
Mistake: "Hablo el alemán."
Correction: Hablo alemán. You usually skip the article 'el' after verbs related to learning or speaking, like 'hablar' or 'estudiar'.
⭐ Usage Tips
Context is Key
The phrase 'el alemán' can mean 'the German man' or 'the German language.' The context of the sentence usually makes the meaning clear.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: alemán
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses 'alemán' to refer to a language?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to capitalize 'alemán'?
No. In Spanish, words for nationalities, languages, and days of the week are generally written in lowercase, unless they start a sentence.
What is the plural form of 'alemán'?
The masculine plural is 'alemanes' (ending in -es, since the singular ends in a consonant). The feminine plural is 'alemanas'.