Federal President
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Federal President
The head of state of the Federal Republic of Germany or the Republic of Austria, who mainly has representative duties.
Der Bundespräsident hat das neue Gesetz unterzeichnet.
The Federal President signed the new law.
The word is made up of three parts: 'Bund' (federation, referring to the Federal Republic), the linking '-es-', and 'Präsident' (president). So it refers to the president of the federation.
Der Bundespräsident repräsentiert Deutschland im Ausland.
The Federal President represents Germany abroad.
When the name of the current Federal President is mentioned, the article is often omitted. So you say 'Bundespräsident Steinmeier' (Federal President Steinmeier), not 'Der Bundespräsident Steinmeier' (The Federal President Steinmeier).
Bundespräsident Steinmeier hält heute eine wichtige Rede.
Federal President Steinmeier is giving an important speech today.
Typical verbs connected with the Federal President describe his representative duties: to give a speech, sign a law, appoint someone, or award an order of merit.
Der Bundespräsident wird den neuen Botschafter empfangen.
The Federal President will receive the new ambassador.
president
'der Präsident' and 'der Bundespräsident' can both refer to a head of state. However, 'der Präsident' is more general: it can be used for the head of state of many republics. 'der Bundespräsident' is more specific and refers to the head of state of Germany or Austria. Learners may confuse the words because both sound political and refer to a high-ranking person in the state. When speaking generally about a republic, 'Präsident' fits. When speaking specifically about Germany or Austria, 'Bundespräsident' is more precise.
Der Bundespräsident besucht morgen eine Schule in Berlin.
The Federal President is visiting a school in Berlin tomorrow.
Der Präsident hält heute eine Rede im Parlament.
The president is giving a speech in parliament today.