fremd
foreign
Originating from another country or culture; not native or local.
EXAMPLE
Sie reist gern in fremde Länder.
She enjoys traveling to foreign countries.
fremd
foreign / unfamiliar / someone else's
fremd – fremder – am fremdesten
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Meanings
fremd
someone else's
Belonging to or originating from another person rather than oneself.
EXAMPLE
Bitte benutze keine fremden Sachen, ohne vorher zu fragen.
Please don't use someone else's things without asking first.
fremd
unfamiliar
Unknown or not familiar because one has not encountered something or someone before.
EXAMPLE
Die fremde Frau fragte mich nach dem Weg.
A woman I didn't know asked me for directions.
fremd
unfamiliar
Not familiar and therefore difficult to understand or make sense of.
EXAMPLE
Die technischen Begriffe waren mir völlig fremd.
The technical terms were completely unfamiliar to me.
fremd
alienated
Not feeling close to someone or part of a group; emotionally distant.
EXAMPLE
Nach vielen Jahren fühlte er sich in seiner eigenen Familie fremd.
After many years, he felt alienated within his own family.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry fremd, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Comparison
| basic form | fremd |
|---|---|
| comparative | fremder |
| superlative | am fremdesten |
After der, die, das
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to fremd.
After ein, eine
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to fremd.
Without article
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| dat. | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| gen. | -en | -er | -en | -er |
Add the ending to fremd.
Usage tips
Context clues
The meaning of 'fremd' (foreign / unfamiliar / someone else's) can often be identified from the noun or sentence structure: with countries and cultures, it refers to origin; with things, to ownership; with people, to not knowing them; and in 'sich fremd fühlen' (to feel alienated), to emotional distance.
EXAMPLE
In diesem Viertel begegnen mir viele fremde Kulturen.
I encounter many foreign cultures in this neighborhood.
Er hat ohne Erlaubnis fremde Dateien geöffnet.
He opened someone else's files without permission.
Obwohl sie schon lange in der Stadt lebte, fühlte sie sich dort immer noch fremd.
Although she had lived in the city for a long time, she still felt alienated there.
Typical collocations
When it means 'originating from another country or culture', 'fremd' (foreign) often appears with words such as 'Land' (country), 'Sprache' (language), 'Kultur' (culture), or 'Staatsangehörigkeit' (nationality).
EXAMPLE
Es dauert Jahre, eine fremde Sprache wirklich gut zu sprechen.
It takes years to speak a foreign language really well.
Ownership
With things, 'fremd' (someone else's) indicates that they belong to another person. Common combinations refer to property, objects, or spaces.
EXAMPLE
Man darf ein fremdes Grundstück nicht ohne Erlaubnis betreten.
You must not enter someone else's property without permission.
Dative construction
When something is unfamiliar or difficult to understand, the person concerned often appears in the dative: 'Etwas ist jemandem fremd' (something is unfamiliar to someone). This pattern is especially common with concepts, methods, and ways of thinking.
EXAMPLE
Die komplizierte Denkweise war mir zunächst fremd.
The complicated way of thinking was unfamiliar to me at first.
Feeling alienated
The reflexive expression 'sich fremd fühlen' (to feel alienated) is often used for emotional distance. The place or group is usually introduced with 'in' (in) or 'unter' (among).
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Umzug fühlte sie sich unter den neuen Nachbarn fremd.
After moving, she felt alienated among her new neighbors.
In real life
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