die Freundin
girlfriend
A female person with whom one has a romantic relationship.
EXAMPLE
Er hat seine Freundin letztes Jahr im Urlaub kennengelernt.
He met his girlfriend last year on vacation.
die Freundin
girlfriend / female friend
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Meanings
die Freundin
female friend
A female person with whom one has a close but non-romantic friendship.
EXAMPLE
Am Wochenende treffe ich mich mit einer Freundin zum Kaffeetrinken.
At the weekend, I'm meeting a female friend for coffee.
Usage tips
Context clue
To avoid misunderstandings, context is crucial. 'Meine Freundin' usually means one's romantic partner. To refer to a platonic female friend more clearly, it is safer to say 'eine Freundin von mir' (a female friend of mine).
EXAMPLE
Ich fahre mit meiner Freundin in den Urlaub.
I'm going on vacation with my girlfriend.
Word formation
'Freundin' (girlfriend/female friend) is the feminine form of 'der Freund' (friend/boyfriend). The ending '-in' is used as standard in German to form the feminine form of terms for people.
EXAMPLE
Meine beste Freundin kenne ich schon seit dem Kindergarten.
I've known my best friend since kindergarten.
Typical collocations
When the romantic partner is meant, 'Freundin' (girlfriend) is often used with verbs such as 'vorstellen' (to introduce), 'zusammen sein mit' (to be together with), or 'sich trennen von' (to break up with).
EXAMPLE
Er hat uns seine neue Freundin auf der Party vorgestellt.
He introduced us to his new girlfriend at the party.
Use the plural form
When talking about a group of platonic female friends, you use the plural 'Freundinnen' (female friends). This often makes the non-romantic relationship clearer.
EXAMPLE
Sie trifft sich jedes Wochenende mit ihren Freundinnen.
She meets up with her female friends every weekend.
Compare with
Freundin vs Mädchen
girl
For a romantic partner, „die Freundin“ is the usual term today. „Das Mädchen“ can also have this meaning, but it sounds rare or old-fashioned. Without further context, „Freundin“ can also refer to a purely platonic friendship.
Freundin
Heute stellt Paul seine Partnerin als seine Freundin vor.
Today, Paul introduces his partner as his girlfriend.
Mädchen
In dem alten Roman stellt Paul seine Partnerin als sein Mädchen vor.
In the old novel, Paul introduces his partner as his girl.
In real life
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