die Frau
woman
An adult female person.
EXAMPLE
Die Frau am Nachbartisch liest ein Buch.
The woman at the next table is reading a book.
die Frau
woman / wife
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Meanings
die Frau
wife
The female spouse in a marriage.
EXAMPLE
Er hat seine Frau im Urlaub kennengelernt.
He met his wife on vacation.
Frau
Ms.
A polite form of address for an adult woman, followed by her last name.
EXAMPLE
Guten Morgen, Frau Meier, wie geht es Ihnen?
Good morning, Ms. Meier, how are you?
Usage tips
Context clue
Whether 'Frau' means any woman or a wife depends on the context. A possessive pronoun like 'meine' (my), 'seine' (his), or 'ihre' (her/their) almost always points to the meaning 'Ehefrau' (wife).
EXAMPLE
Eine Frau hat nach Ihnen gefragt.
A woman asked for you.
Use as a form of address
As a polite form of address, 'Frau' always stands without an article directly before the last name. This form is used both when addressing someone directly and when speaking about a person.
EXAMPLE
Guten Tag, Frau Weber, schön Sie zu sehen.
Good afternoon, Ms. Weber, nice to see you.
Cultural note
In German, 'Frau' is the neutral and usual form of address for any adult woman, regardless of her marital status. German does not distinguish between married and unmarried women in this form of address.
EXAMPLE
Sehr geehrte Frau Dr. Bauer, anbei sende ich Ihnen die Unterlagen.
Dear Dr. Bauer, please find attached the documents.
Compare with
Frau vs Mädchen
girl
Mädchen refers to a female child or adolescent, while Frau refers to an adult female person. Mädchen can be used for young adults, but it emphasizes their youth and can sound condescending. For an adult, Frau is therefore usually the more respectful choice.
Frau
Die erwachsene Frau meldete sich selbst für den Sprachkurs an.
The adult woman registered herself for the language course.
Mädchen
Das siebzehnjährige Mädchen wurde von seinen Eltern für den Sprachkurs angemeldet.
The seventeen-year-old girl was registered for the language course by her parents.
In real life
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