ausländisch
foreign
Originating from another country or relating to another country.
EXAMPLE
Viele deutsche Firmen haben ausländische Handelspartner.
Many German companies have foreign trading partners.
ausländisch
foreign
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word structure
The word is derived from the noun 'das Ausland' (foreign countries / abroad), which means 'fremdes Land' (foreign country). The ending '-isch' turns it into an adjective. Literally, it therefore means 'belonging to foreign countries.'
EXAMPLE
Er liest gerne Bücher in ausländischen Sprachen.
He likes reading books in foreign languages.
Typical collocations
'Ausländisch' (foreign) is often used in combination with people, things, or concepts that have an origin: ausländische Studierende (foreign students), ausländische Produkte (foreign products), ein ausländischer Akzent (a foreign accent), ausländische Politik (foreign policy).
EXAMPLE
Mein Lieblingsrestaurant serviert ausländische Spezialitäten.
My favorite restaurant serves foreign specialties.
Register and style
'Ausländisch' (foreign) is a neutral and factual term. It is frequently used in the news, official documents, and formal language to objectively describe the origin of something or someone.
EXAMPLE
Die Regierung verhandelt über ein neues Abkommen mit ausländischen Investoren.
The government is negotiating a new agreement with foreign investors.
Compare with
ausländisch vs international
international
International emphasizes the involvement of several countries or nationalities. Ausländisch, on the other hand, describes someone or something as coming from another country from the perspective of a particular country. A team can be international, while its individual members can be ausländisch (foreign).
ausländisch
Das Unternehmen beschäftigt mehrere ausländische Fachkräfte aus Kanada.
The company employs several foreign professionals from Canada.
international
Das Unternehmen beschäftigt ein internationales Team aus fünf Ländern.
The company employs an international team from five countries.
In real life
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