German Marriage & Weddings Vocabulary
This set covers the vocabulary of getting married in German, from die Verlobung (engagement) through die Hochzeit itself to the state of die Ehe (marriage) that follows. English speakers often trip on der Ehemann and die Ehefrau: German builds "husband" and "wife" directly out of Ehe (marriage) plus Mann or Frau, so the marriage itself is baked into the words in a way "husband" and "wife" never show in English.
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All 23 words
plural: die Bräute
bride
Die Braut trägt ein weißes Kleid. — The bride wears a white dress.
plural: die Bräutigame
groom
Der Bräutigam wartet nervös am Altar. — The groom waits nervously at the altar.
- heiratenA1
to marry
Meine Schwester heiratet einen Japaner. — My sister is marrying a Japanese man.
plural: die Hochzeiten
wedding
Zur dieser Hochzeit kommen mehr als fünfzig Gäste. — More than fifty guests are coming to this wedding.
plural: die Eheringe
wedding ring
Er steckt ihr den Ehering an. — He puts the wedding ring on her.
- verlobtA2
engaged
Meine Schwester ist seit gestern verlobt. — My sister has been engaged since yesterday.
plural: die Verlobungen
engagement
Sie feiern ihre Verlobung mit Freunden. — They celebrate their engagement with friends.
plural: die Ehen
marriage
Sie hat zwei Kinder aus erster Ehe. — She has two children from her first marriage.
plural: die Ehefrauen
wife
Wie heißt Ihre Ehefrau mit Vornamen? — What is your wife's first name?
plural: die Ehemänner
husband
Wie heißt Ihre Ehefrau mit Vornamen? — What is your husband's first name?
plural: die Ehepaare
married couple
Das Ehepaar unter uns hat zwei Kinder. — The married couple below us has two children.
plural: die Flitterwochen
honeymoon
Sie verbringen ihre Flitterwochen in Italien. — They spend their honeymoon in Italy.
plural: die Standesämter
registry office
Die Heirat findet im Standesamt statt. — The marriage takes place at the registry office.
plural: die Trauungen
wedding ceremony
Die Trauung findet in der Kirche statt. — The wedding ceremony takes place in the church.
plural: die Trauzeugen
witness (at wedding)
Mein bester Freund ist mein Trauzeuge. — My best friend is my witness.
newlyweds
Die Frischvermählten genossen ihre Hochzeitsreise. — The newlyweds enjoyed their honeymoon.
plural: die Heiratsanträge
a (marriage) proposal
Er machte ihr einen wunderschönen Heiratsantrag. — He made her a beautiful marriage proposal.
plural: die Taufen
baptism
Die Taufe des Babys findet nächste Woche statt. — The baby's baptism takes place next week.
to marry off
Ihre Mutter wollte sie unter die Haube bringen. — Her mother wanted to marry her off.
plural: die Aussteuern
trousseau / dowry = the clothes, household linen, and other belongings collected by a bride for her marriage.
Die Aussteuer der Braut umfasste kostbare Stoffe und Schmuck. — The trousseau of the bride included precious fabrics and jewelry.
nuptial
Das bräutliche Kleid war weiß und elegant. — The nuptial dress was white and elegant.
plural: die Mitgiften
a dowry / portion
Die Mitgift der Braut war großzügig bemessen. — The dowry of the bride was generously measured.
to wed / marry
Sie vermählten sich in der Kirche. — They wed in the church.
How to learn this set
Nearly half the nouns here share the root Ehe: die Ehe, der Ehemann, die Ehefrau, das Ehepaar, der Ehering. Learn Ehe once as "marriage" and the rest almost translate themselves. A second cluster runs on Trau-: die Trauung, der Trauzeuge, verlobt/die Verlobung sit nearby too, so drill Ehe-words and Trau-words as two separate blocks rather than mixing all 18 nouns together. When you hit die Aussteuer and die Mitgift, don't treat them as synonyms of each other or of die Hochzeit; they're older, specific terms for property a bride brought into a marriage, worth learning as a pair with a note on when they're used rather than as everyday vocabulary.
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Frequently asked questions
Was ist der Unterschied zwischen Hochzeit und Ehe?
Die Hochzeit is the wedding day itself, the party and ceremony. Die Ehe is the marriage as an ongoing legal and personal state, the thing that continues after the Hochzeit is over.
Is der Ehemann just German for husband, or does it mean something more literal?
It literally breaks down into Ehe (marriage) plus Mann (man), so it reads as 'marriage-man'. The female equivalent works the same way: die Ehefrau is Ehe plus Frau.
Why is die Hochzeit feminine when hoch and Zeit don't obviously point that way?
Because the whole compound takes its gender from the last part, Zeit, which is feminine. This rule works for almost every German compound noun, including die Trauung and die Verlobung here.
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