German Relationships & Couples Vocabulary
This set covers how German talks about being with someone, or no longer being with someone: der Partner and die Partnerin for the person you're with, die Beziehung for the relationship itself, and die Scheidung and die Trennung for when it ends. One trap for English speakers: das Verhältnis looks like it should just mean "relationship" but often implies something less official, closer to an affair, while die Beziehung is the safer everyday word.
Learn these 28 words
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All 28 words
plural: die Familienstände
marital status
Bei Familienstand musst du ledig ankreuzen. — For marital status you must mark single.
- ledigA1
single, unmarried
Sind Sie verheiratet? – Nein. Ledig. — Are you married? – No. Single.
plural: die Partner
partner
Sie ist meine Partnerin. — She is my partner.
married
Ich bin verheiratet und habe drei Kinder. — I am married and have three children.
plural: die Paare
a few, couple
Romeo und Julia sind ein Paar. — Romeo and Juliet are a couple.
plural: die Partnerinnen
partner, female
Veronika ist meine Partnerin. — Veronika is my partner.
plural: die Beziehungen
relationship, connection
Wir haben gute Beziehungen zu unseren Nachbarn. — We have good relationships with our neighbors.
divorced
Ich bin seit drei Jahren geschieden. — I have been divorced for three years.
plural: die Scheidungen
divorce
Wann war die Scheidung? — When was the divorce?
plural: die Trennungen
separation
Die Trennung von der Familie war schwierig. — The separation from the family was difficult.
- umarmenB1
to hug, embrace
Lass dich zum Abschied umarmen. — Let me hug you goodbye.
plural: die Verhältnisse
relationship, ratio
Ich habe ein gutes Verhältnis zu meinen Eltern. — I have a good relationship with my parents.
plural: die Bindungen
attachment / bond
Die Bindung zwischen Eltern und Kind ist stark. — The bond between parent and child is strong.
plural: die Ehefrauen
wife
Die Ehefrau und der Ehemann lieben sich. — The wife and husband love each other.
plural: die Ehemänner
husband
Der Ehemann arbeitet als Architekt. — The husband works as an architect.
plural: die Partner
(male) partner
Mein Partner arbeitet als Arzt. — My partner works as a doctor.
plural: die Partnerinnen
(female) partner
Seine Partnerin ist sehr nett. — His partner is very nice.
- scheidenB2
to divorce / separate / part
Nach zehn Jahren entschieden sie sich zu scheiden. — After ten years they decided to divorce.
plural: die Verflossenen
an ex / past romantic partner
Er traf seine Verflossene zufällig im Supermarkt. — He ran into his ex by chance at the supermarket.
to pair off / do matchmaking
Die Großmutter versuchte, die jungen Leute zu verkuppeln. — The grandmother tried to match up the young people.
plural: die Zuwendungen
care / affection / financial contribution / sum of money
Die Zuwendung der Eltern ist wichtig für Kinder. — Parental affection is important for children.
extramarital
Ein außereheliches Kind wurde geboren. — An extramarital child was born.
to treat like a child / patronize
Eltern bevormunden ihre Kinder oft zu sehr. — Parents often patronize their children too much.
to snub
Er brüskierte sie mit einer unhöflichen Bemerkung. — He snubbed her with a rude remark.
plural: die Gemahle
husband / spouse
Die Königin und ihr Gemahl herrschten zusammen. — The queen and her spouse ruled together.
plural: die Paarberatungen
couples counseling
Das Paar besuchte die Paarberatung zusammen. — The couple attended couples counseling together.
plural: die Stelldicheine
a tryst / rendezvous a private romantic rendezvous between lovers.
Das Stelldichein der Liebenden fand im Park statt. — The lovers' rendezvous took place in the park.
plural: die Vorzeigefrau
a trophy wife
Die Vorzeigefrau des Politikers war sehr schön. — The trophy wife of the politician was very beautiful.
How to learn this set
Notice that most relationship status words come in strict der/die pairs built from the same root: der Partner/die Partnerin, der Ehemann/die Ehefrau. Learn these as pairs, not single entries, since German always marks the gender of the person, unlike English "partner" or "spouse." Also group the participles ledig, verheiratet, and geschieden together, since they answer the same bureaucratic question (der Familienstand) and show up on every German form you'll ever fill out. For the C1 verbs like bevormunden, brüskieren, and verkuppeln, attach each one to a mini scene (a mother who bevormundet her adult son, a friend who tries to verkuppeln you) rather than drilling the translation alone.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between die Beziehung and das Verhältnis?
Both can mean relationship, but die Beziehung is the neutral, everyday word for any relationship, romantic or otherwise. Das Verhältnis leans more toward an affair or a less official arrangement, and also just means ratio in a math context, so check the sentence before you translate it.
Is das Paar the same as ein paar in German?
No. Das Paar (capitalized, with der/die/das) means a couple or a pair of people. Ein paar, lowercase, means "a few" or "a couple of" in the quantity sense, like ein paar Tage (a few days). Same spelling pattern, unrelated meaning.
What's the difference between der Partner and die Verflossene?
Der Partner and die Partnerin are neutral, current terms for a partner in a relationship. Die Verflossene refers specifically to a past partner, an ex, and carries a slightly wistful or old-fashioned tone rather than the flat "ex" of English.
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