arm
poor
Having little or no money, property, or means; not rich.
EXAMPLE
Er wuchs in einer armen Familie mit vielen Geschwistern auf.
He grew up in a poor family with many siblings.
arm
poor
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Meanings
arm
poor
Pitiful or deserving sympathy; an expression of compassion.
EXAMPLE
Der arme Hund stand ganz allein im Regen.
The poor dog was standing all alone in the rain.
arm an
low in
Containing little of a certain substance or quality.
EXAMPLE
Joghurt ist oft arm an Fett, aber reich an Proteinen.
Yogurt is often low in fat but rich in protein.
Usage tips
Fixed preposition
To express that something contains little of a certain substance, you use the fixed structure 'arm an' (low in) followed by the dative. This construction is especially common when describing foods.
EXAMPLE
Die Wüste ist eine an Wasser arme Region.
The desert is a region poor in water.
Context clue: sympathy
When 'arm' (poor) expresses pity, it often stands directly before the noun with a definite article (der/die/das). It then means 'pitiful' and does not necessarily mean that someone has no money.
EXAMPLE
Der arme Kerl hat seinen Zug verpasst.
The poor guy missed his train.
Common compounds
The word 'arm' (poor/low in) is often used as the second part of compound adjectives to express 'having little of something.' Typical examples are 'fettarm' (low-fat), 'kalorienarm' (low-calorie), and 'risikoarm' (low-risk).
EXAMPLE
Ich kaufe immer fettarme Milch.
I always buy low-fat milk.
Compare with
arm vs bedürftig
needy
„Arm“ and „bedürftig“ can both describe a person with little money. „Arm“ refers mainly to limited material resources, while „bedürftig“ also emphasizes that the person therefore depends on help. Choose „arm“ for the situation itself and „bedürftig“ when the need for help is the focus.
arm
Die Familie ist arm und kann sich die Reparatur kaum leisten.
The family is poor and can barely afford the repairs.
bedürftig
Die bedürftige Familie erhält Unterstützung für die Reparatur.
The needy family is receiving support for the repairs.
In real life
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